Pirates of Epsilon 3
by warinbabylon
Summary: The only sin of the beautiful planet of Epsilon 3 is that it is nestled in the galaxy near Gallifrey. That fact might prove to be its undoing. Complete!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: All the characters, except those created by the author, belong to the BBC. Doctor Who is their creation. I am only playing with the characters and promise to return them unharmed. No infringement is meant and no money is made from this story. I promise.  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
  
  
The mist was heavy, listing low to the ground and covering the grass like a blanket. In the early morning light, it appeared otherworldly. Quiet was all around the meadows and fields; the livestock had not yet been led out to pasture that day. The village, its inhabitants and the countryside were still asleep.  
  
However, into the quiet a soft wheezing grew, like a wind through reeds and then suddenly died away. A pair of people appeared, walking out of a small cluster of trees, to stand in the field.  
  
The younger, female half of the pair held up a small piece of equipment. She sighed and with a shake of her head addressed the taller, older male companion. "It is very far away indeed, Father."  
  
The man smiled a wide smile that was only accentuated by his goatee. "Ah, dear Cassiopeia, I could not land in the castle proper. These people are not entire primitives; they know of offworlders and their proximity to Gallifrey means that they know of Time Lords. It is better that we approach them as inconspicuous travelers."  
  
"Travelers with means…" Cassiopeia offered. She arched a perfect eyebrow into her hairline. "How can you be assured that they will give us the pieces we need?"  
  
"Money speaks loudly; our wits speak louder; my trusted weapon speaks loudest of all," the man offered, looking around. "Come, daughter…"  
  
**  
  
"The Nightyearner scout has arrived, my liege."  
  
King Lazotan glanced up from his papers. The late night frolicking the night before and the early morning hour had taken its toll on his youthful face. He was paler than usual, making his brown eyes seem like great dark shadows and his black hair hung like a tattered rag about his head. He wore a simple robe of green knotted over a plain white shirt and black pants. "Well…show him in, Harkil, before someone sees him."  
  
The servant bowed quickly and left. Lazotan rose, skirting the ornate wooden desk to approach the drink canister. As the door behind him opened again, he held out a filled chalice without looking at the man who entered. "Makran…"  
  
"No thank you, your majesty," Makran answered. As the King turned to face him, the man  
  
bowed quickly and extended his hand to a small brass box that was on the desk. The King walked over to the desk, sipping his chalice slowly. When he was close enough, he opened the box and a small smile came across his features.  
  
"And the magic materials?"  
  
"The large pieces are here, my liege. The others remain at the seller's circle."  
  
The King shifted his hands through the gold pieces in the box. "Good, good. Tell Jandar that I require the flat silver piece with the emerald knobs. If he brings it to me within half a fortnight, he may receive 100 trinas for his trouble and a larger cut of the sales." He rubbed his nose momentarily and then glanced at the man as he stood. "You may leave now…"  
  
As the door closed behind Makran, the King chuckled lowly, shifting his hands through the box and watching the early morning sun glint off the golden edges.  
  
**  
  
Another strange occurrence had happened on the quiet countryside. A blue box, similar to a coffin had appeared at the edge of a clearing. The door opened and a young man, his lips pressed tightly together and a hat on his head, stuck his shoulders out. "Wonderful…a perfect landing."  
  
As he walked out, his hands stuffed deep in the pockets of his striped trousers, a boy in a multicolored jumper, and a young woman dressed in a purple and lavender uniform followed him. The woman stopped to glance up at the trees, but the boy continued, following the young blond man to the edge of the meadow. "But Doctor…"  
  
"I said no, Adric," the man turned, bending at the waist to stare at his young friend. "You have to stay here at the TARDIS with Tegan and Nyssa. I will return shortly."  
  
"But you said yourself that this planet is peaceful…" Adric argued.  
  
"And beautiful," Tegan offered, glancing over to the edge of the meadow where an oceans was visible, peaking through the trees. "I knew it sounded too good to be true."  
  
The Doctor sighed. "When I return, we can explore…visit a few villages I know…but for now, the both of you and Nyssa need to remain here. And no arguments. I haven't the time or the patience for it right now." He glanced off to the east. "I'll be back."  
  
And then he was gone walking across the meadow at a clipped pace.  
  
Tegan shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "What was that all about?"  
  
"He is in one of his moods again," Adric answered, narrowing his brown eyes at the middle of the Doctor's back. "We landed and he immediately gathered up a few tools. When you came into the console room, he had already told me to stay behind."  
  
With a shrug, Tegan turned back towards the TARDIS. "I'm going to talk with Nyssa."  
  
Adric didn't answer, but stared at the retreating man's back. The Doctor's cream coat tails were flapping as he nearly ran from the meadow. "I just wish I knew what was going on…" the boy said quietly and then turned to follow his friend back into the blue box that was a time machine that was their home. 


	2. Problems arise

Rainy Days  
  
"This…Adric…was all your idea."  
  
The young Alzarian rolled his eyes and glanced back at his older female companion. Tegan Jovanka stood in front of Nyssa, partially shielding the young girl from the view of those around them. The tiny crevice of a cave into which the trio of travelers had stumbled was filled, in her estimation, from floor to ceiling with angry men. None of which, her mind supplied, that were under 7 feet tall.  
  
"Don't argue," Nyssa whispered, grabbing at Tegan's hostess outfit. The girl's eyes were wide, taking in the advancing men. "Let's just get out of here."  
  
"I agree…" Adric muttered.  
  
The three companions backed toward the door, their bodies colliding with each other as they huddled. When Nyssa felt the cool air from the entrance against her neck, she turned, grabbing for Adric's tunic with one hand and Tegan's hand with her other. All of them ran the length of the hallway, holding onto each other until they reached the entrance to the cave.  
  
"Go…" Tegan muttered, pushing on Nyssa's shoulder. "It's only wide enough for one at a time. Go!"  
  
Nyssa, her face twisted in indecision, was bundled through the entrance. Adric was pushed bodily through the entrance as their pursuers neared. Tegan glanced behind her and then began to edge through the opening. Adric waited on the other side, his hand extended to her. She reached for his hand, but was grabbed from behind. Her outraged shriek filled the cavern. Nyssa screamed and reached back through the opening to her friend.  
  
"Get out of here!" Tegan screamed as she was torn back through the small entrance. "Adric…get her out of here!"  
  
Adric grabbed Nyssa, wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her backwards, away from the rocks. "Come on…" he pleaded. "There is nothing we can do for her now! We've got to get back to the TARDIS. The Doctor will know what to do!"  
  
Nyssa sobbed. "We can't leave her. Those men are pirates…"  
  
Adric swung his friend around, setting her feet on the ground, pushing her from behind to run toward the daylight up ahead. "And if we get caught, no one could tell the Doctor where we are so he could help her and us…"  
  
Nyssa shook her head and took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. After the space of a breath, she found her feet moving quickly, running down the smooth rock. Nearby she could hear the crash of surf and the smell of ocean. As they burst out into the sunlight, she took a deep breath, looking down the beach toward a small settlement. "The Doctor will not be happy that we left the TARDIS."  
  
"And that won't help save Tegan…" Adric supplied. He reached back and grabbed his friend's hand, pulling her along the wet cold sand toward the small lighthouse at the edge of the beach. "Come on."  
  
**  
  
The Doctor tilted his head back, staring at the sky. His smart Panama hat was jammed tightly on his head and his lips were tightly pressed together. He closed his eyes and sighed. Nyssa's hand pressed against his lower arm. "Doctor…"  
  
The Time Lord raised his hand to his head and squeezed the bridge of his nose. "I should have known you would leave the TARDIS."  
  
"There isn't time for this…" Adric whispered, his voice raising.  
  
The trio of travelers stood at the entry way of the Hill End's Inn. It was a small two story building with thatch roof that had housed patrons for well over a century. The wood entry way stoop was low, barely clearing the Doctor's fair head, but the soft rain that fell around them made it necessary for them to stand as they were. Around them, nestled in the rolling emerald hills, was the small town of the same name as the Inn. It was peaceful and warm, inviting.  
  
Adric wondered what had been so important that the Doctor had left him, as well as the two girls, in the TARDIS. Hill's End was a wonderful. All around him were houses of thatch and wood, livestock and people going about their daily business. The smell of a clear spring rain permeated the air.  
  
They had found the Doctor in the village, deep in conversation with the elders. He had disengaged from the conversation and retreated to the inn to chastise his young friends.  
  
"Adric…how many times must I tell you," the Doctor began, his voice adopting a patronizing tone. "There is time for everything…if one properly plans. Now…why did you leave the TARDIS?"  
  
"Doctor…Tegan…"  
  
"I suspect that there is a problem with her," the Doctor muttered to no one in particular. "There usually is. What's the matter?"  
  
Nyssa tired of the banter and pressed her hand into the Doctor's arm again. "Doctor…we left the TARDIS because Adric read up on the planet. He said it was known galactically for its beauty so we decided to take a short walk in the trees by the TARDIS. Adric found the creek and we followed it to the sea…by the old lighthouse."  
  
The Doctor blanched slightly. "What?"  
  
"We found a collection of caves and did a bit of exploring…but we found a bunch of men-"  
  
"Pirates." Adric helpfully added.  
  
"And when we tried to get away…"  
  
"Tegan was taken," the Doctor finished, frowning. He pinched his nose again and sighed heavily. "Of all the…."  
  
Adric rolled his eyes. "If you had taken us with you in the first place, this would not have happened."  
  
The Time Lord rounded on Adric, his face showing his anger clearly. "The reason why we are here is because of those pirates, Adric. I did not bring you along because I knew it was going to be dangerous. They engage in female slave trading. That is why I left Nyssa and Tegan in the TARDIS. For once I wish you would listen to me; I do have a reason for my actions, you know."  
  
Nyssa paled at the mention of female slave trading, but kept her face as calm as she could. "Then…"  
  
"Yes, Nyssa. I do know possibly where they would take Tegan. And I know what they will do with her. The problem is…this little…accident of ours is going to force my hand before it was ready."  
  
"Why are we here?" Adric asked, suddenly. "Why are you researching those…"  
  
"Those pirates have stolen a good many people, Adric. And a few of them have been Gallifreyans, some humans, the most fellow Epsilonians. They take prisoners, sell them and use whatever gadgets or knowledge that they get from them as added collateral. Some pieces of a type 56 temporal stabilizer were taken from a Time Lord who was here a short time ago. The TARDIS picked up the readings when it landed….the stabilizer, when not in use internally in a TARDIS, will release a homing beacon type communication. Does that so whoever lost it can find it…it is necessary for the use of a TARDIS. I heard it…found no other TARDIS on this planet through a check and this is not a time mechanics fluent society. A little investigating led me to the pirate ring." The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets. "It is not a good idea to leave mechanics of that level lying about a non time traveling world. And it is not a good idea to let them sell it to someone who should definitely not have it."  
  
"So you were going to collect the stabilizer?"  
  
The Doctor nodded, answering Nyssa's question. "And find out what else they have. I have a feeling they are in possession of a lot of technology that when sold to the wrong people would cause a large problem."  
  
"So…" Adric began.  
  
"So…this little problem means that I am going to have to venture to their selling area earlier than expected," the Doctor bit his lip and shook his head. "I haven't had the time to properly infiltrate the seller's circle. " He took off his hat and slapped it against his thigh. "Why does she never listen to me?"  
  
Nyssa arched an eyebrow. "What can we do to help?"  
  
The Doctor shook his head and looked at the ground. "You can go inside and get yourself and Adric a proper meal. I'm going to have to do some thinking." He turned to Adric and held his finger up. "No arguments…"  
  
Adric nodded mutely and trudged into the Inn behind his friend. The Doctor watched them go, shaking his head. That was the problem with youth, he supposed. Always out for adventure and thinking they were immortal and impregnatrable.  
  
He slipped his hat on his head and stepped out into the light rain to walk to the far town meeting hall.  
  
**  
  
Kilred glanced up at the Lord of Time, the Doctor as he called himself, as the man entered the meeting hall. He did not know why he wanted to trust the man; usually he distrusted mages and jesters. Currently he didn't know which this man was, but he did know that he was no elder. As a sign of greeting, he banged the hilt of his sword against the ground. The Doctor stopped and bowed at the door.  
  
"Greetings again, Kilred."  
  
The warrior nodded and glanced meaningfully at the space next to him on the floor. "You return quickly, Time Lord."  
  
"Yes…well…it seems that my plans have taken a different route than I expected." The Doctor rocked forward on his toes, his hands deep in his pockets. "My friends have returned."  
  
"The young boy and the child woman?"  
  
"I suppose that would be an accurate description of them," the Doctor agreed. "Yes…Adric and Nyssa. I have one other friend…a woman…Tegan. It appears that when my friends explored, they misplaced her."  
  
"Misplaced her?" Kilred looked perplexed.  
  
"They rather innocently stumbled onto a slaver's den and had to leave Tegan behind."  
  
"A slaver's den? The devil, you say." The warrior slowly rose to his feet. Behind him, another door swept open and an older man of similar beefy build entered the hall.  
  
The Doctor inclined his head and waved his hands in the air. "I'm afraid the situation has been come much more complicated with this news. I will unable to accompany you to the seller's circle in Tyler's Creek. My instincts tell me that retrieving my friend is of the utmost importance."  
  
"Your 'material'," the older man began. "Is indeed at the seller's circle, Doctor. The small piece of silver with knobs…about so big…" the man held out his hands to indicate the size.  
  
"That was what I was afraid of…" the Doctor said, leaning back on his heels and biting his lip. "You're sure, Elrind?"  
  
"Absolutely, my son has seen it with his own eyes."  
  
The Doctor turned in a tight circle with his eyes squeezed shut. "This is all I need," he complained lightly. "I can't leave that temporal stabilizer lying about here. Not if your king is as corrupt as the off- worlder's say."  
  
"Our king is not to be trusted," Kilred growled.  
  
The Doctor nodded. "No…with that I agree."  
  
"The power and money that he generates from selling…"  
  
"Or keeping…" the Doctor offered.  
  
"Those pieces of technology increase his power and position within the triplanet range. He will be unable to be stopped if it continues."  
  
"Yes, Elrind. You are quite right about that."  
  
"We fight him?" Kilred offered, leaning on against a supportive pole.  
  
The Doctor shook his head. "As I told you years ago, Kilred…when you were a child…fighting gets you nowhere. We will remove the source of his power…and all else will come out in the wash."  
  
Kilred shook his head in disbelief. Elrind laid a hand on his shoulder. "You know it is true. The Doctor is a Lord of Time. We have seen his kind before…they do change. He was here twenty years ago…and he was different and yet the same."  
  
The Doctor held up his hands. "Yes…yes…there is no time for this explanation, however. I need to get that temporal stabilizer and I need to rescue Tegan. I have a plan for this…if you would be so kind as to help….I think we can solve both problems."  
  
**  
  
Adric carried back two trenches of some refreshment that the bartender called ale to the table at which he and Nyssa sat. His young friend was leaning on the table staring out the dirty glass window. There was very little to see out the musty glass, but she still stared. He knew that she was worried about Tegan. He was as well. As he put down the trenches, she turned and glanced at him solemnly. "I don't like the sound of this situation."  
  
With a shrug, he sank down onto the bench. "It's not the worst one we have seen."  
  
"I know. But there is something about this place that is…well…there is evil in the air," the girl shook her head, sending her brown curls into a riot. "Female slave trading."  
  
"That is the least of the worries, I suspect, Nyssa," Adric offered. "If a temporal stabilizer is indeed up for sale somewhere on this world and someone can get it and USE it that is not supposed to have it…"  
  
"I know. Gallifreyan technology is dangerous in the wrong hands. As is anything else that is too advanced for this race. But there is something more…something…" she shivered. "I have felt it since I left the TARDIS."  
  
"Its your empathy again…"  
  
"Its more than that…" Nyssa emphasized.  
  
Adric spilled his ale as the Doctor suddenly appeared, sliding onto the bench next to his young friend. "There you are. Good heavens, what are you drinking?"  
  
"Ale."  
  
The Doctor raised an eyebrow and then gently removed the two trenches from his friends. "Ah yes…well…" When the glasses were removed, he started again. "I have a plan."  
  
Nyssa sat forward, but Adric sighed. The Doctor seemingly ignored the both of them. "I have made two friends here that will help us with both problems that we have. Just to clarify, for you, Adric…that would be our missing Tegan and the presence of the temporal stabilizer where one just should not be."  
  
"Yes, Doctor."  
  
"So…Nyssa…" he leaned across the table and tapped the girl on the arm. The burgundy velvet that she wore showed his hand print. "You will go back to the TARDIS and get the alpha coder…if you tune the wavelength into the radio wave frequency, you should be able to use it as a proximity meter. Then you will come back here. Adric, you will come with me and meet with Eldric. He is a village elder and will serve as a guide/protector for you and Nyssa."  
  
"We are going looking for the temporal stabilizer?" the boy asked, quietly, surprised.  
  
"Yes…it is going to be the simpler of the two tasks. Eldric knows of a selling ring for the merchandise approximately two shires away. It will take you four days traveling to reach there. Once there, however, Eldric has told me that he can assure your safety. I want you two to take the funds that I have to secure the temporal stabilizer. Then…you should come back here." He pulled out a small octogonal key and held it out to Adric. "Here is the spare key for the TARDIS. I don't have to tell you what to do when you get back here, I should think."  
  
"No, Doctor," Nyssa answered, smiling. "Stay in the TARDIS."  
  
"Right!" the Time Lord smiled. "Eldric has clothing for both of you. Blending in is your best bet."  
  
"And Tegan?"  
  
"Yes…well…that is my mission. Although it seems that it might help me to find other technology if they have it and find out more about this particular ring and its relationship with the King. I'll explain later about that. I am going to have to leave rather quickly, however…in the next few minutes, actually. Kilred has informed me that there is to be a selling auction for women in three days about four shires away, at a cave." The Doctor picked up one of the trenches and looked into it for a moment. "He is going to guide me there."  
  
"But Kilred is a warrior…" Nyssa said.  
  
"Yes. He has a personal stake in this…he will guide me."  
  
The door banged open and a large man filled the portal. The Doctor glanced up and nodded, humming quietly. "It seems that my 'ride' has arrived. I must go, then." He rose, glancing down at his friends. "Nyssa…remember the alpha coder and radio waves frequency. Adric…stick to Nyssa…keep her safe. I would rather not separate us…but there is nothing for it. Eldric will keep you both safe…I have his blood oath. Now…come with me and meet him."  
  
As the two friends rose, he glanced at them fondly. "And keep safe."  
  
** 


	3. To the Ends of the Earth

Tegan whimpered as she came awake on the ground. Before she opened her eyes, she could tell something was not quite right. Her arms were latched together and she was cold. As she wiggled to get feeling back into her limbs, she realized that her clothes were missing. Frightened that she was naked, she opened her eyes with a start.  
  
She pushed off the ground with her bound hands and glanced downward. She was not completely naked, but her clothes were nowhere to be seen. In their place were pieces of leather, gray and black, that barely covered her breasts and shoulders. At her hips was a swatch of black silk that hung to the middle of her thighs.  
  
"Hell's teeth," she groaned and sat back, raising her hands to her head. "I lose consciousness and they slap me in an excuse of a harem dress…" She tried to stretch the leather as it bit into her skin. "Rabbits."  
  
"Peace, little one…"  
  
Tegan turned her head to see an older woman sitting on a bench near her. "What?"  
  
"It is the same for all of us, when we first arrive here that is…it was the same for me a fortnight ago."  
  
"And where…" Tegan asked, climbing to her feet. "…exactly is here? And who are you?"  
  
The room was small, maybe six feet by eight feet. The walls were stone; it was clear that it was part of a cave. Several women sat, huddled on the two benches and in the corners. They were dressed as she was.  
  
"This is the holding cell for the Seller's Circle. And my name is Jessica."  
  
"Seller's Circle?"  
  
"Oh yes, my dear…the Seller's Circle for Women…of the Nightyearners, I believe. I don't rightly know, though," Jessica smiled as if she found something particularly funny. "I was not in the mood to ask when they…abducted me."  
  
"Neither was I," Tegan confided. She dusted off her legs and sat down on the bench. Kelan moved her legs to give her room. "Is there anyway to get these…" she held up her bound wrists. "Off?"  
  
Jessica offered her bound wrists for view. "No."  
  
"Rabbits," Tegan swore. She hung her head and sighed. "A paradise planet, and I have to run into a bunch of men that…." She stopped and stared at Kelan. "They sell women?!"  
  
"Oh yes. We are to be sold in three days at the Seller's Circle."  
  
"For what purpose?" Tegan asked, rubbing at her neck, her brown eyes wide.  
  
"Slavery…what else would a slavery ring sell us for, my dear? Have you never heard of the Nightyearners?"  
  
Tegan stopped moving and closed her eyes in disgust. "Oh that's just great!"  
  
**  
  
Jandar leaned on the pole and glanced at the women below. As far as he could see, scores of women milled, some talking, most not. His eyes fell on the single brunette in the crowd. Epsilon 3 was renown for its blond and red headed women. Turning from the pole, he conferred with his second in command. "And what else does His Majesty say?"  
  
"The scout says that if we turn over the silver piece with the emerald orbs, we will be well paid and can keep a larger portion of the sales." Len answered. A man in his twenties, he was tall and extremely youthful looking.  
  
"Your opinion?"  
  
"That if he is that generous it only means that he has another seller for the piece that will…procure higher returns."  
  
Jandar nodded. "My thoughts exactly. King Lazotan is not known for his generosity." He watched the women again for a moment and then continued, his brown eyes searching the new additions. "And find out who his buyer is…we might be able to negotiate ourselves for a better deal."  
  
"At the expense of the King? He will not be thankful. Jandar…you can only press your luck so far."  
  
"And no further?" Jandar laughed, leaning heavily on the bar. "Information is better than ignorance in this business. We do have the upper hand if he chooses to be 'upset' with us; after all…why should a King be involved with a slaver?"  
  
Len grinned widely. "Just your presence is enough, I should think, to make the issue prominent in the minds of the lords."  
  
"Oh I would expect so," he grinned evilly. "But I want to know to whom and why he is needing that piece. Well before the selling date, Len." As his second in command began to retreat from him, he called out, indicating the women below. "And I want to see the little brunette that you captured in the holding cave yesterday. Her training might bring in extra coinage."  
  
Len nodded and walked away, leaving Jandar leaning into the bar, a smile on his face.  
  
**  
  
"Stand here."  
  
Tegan grimaced at the man as he pointed to a place by a large garnet colored cushion. He left the small room after he looked her up and down. If her feet had not been shackled together and if her hands had been her own, she might have tried to run. But she didn't know where she was nor where the way to freedom was. She sighed and sank down onto the cushion. As she closed her eyes, a loud voice boomed in the small area. "You were not given permission to sit."  
  
She glanced up wearily. "And you are?"  
  
"And you were not given permission to speak."  
  
With a groan, she pushed to her feet. "Look all I want to know is where I am and who you are."  
  
The man walked forward and reached out to grab at her chin, yanking it up and making her eyes meet his. "Silence until I ask for your speech."  
  
Tegan glared at him but wisely kept her mouth shut. The man sighed. "I am known as Jandar. What is your name, slave?"  
  
"None of your business…" she growled, unwisely. Jandar nodded once and held out his hand to the side. A quick snap with his fingers brought a small boy with a stick to his side. The pole was taken and he twisted a small knob.  
  
"Woman…this is a pain stick. It can inflict pain on so many different levels…I have it set on the lowest possible setting right now. I need only touch your skin for this to inflict bone shattering pain." He twisted the pole in front of her face. "Now…I will ask you again: what is your name?"  
  
Tegan watched the pole for a moment, breathing shallowly. How much did he mean what he was saying? For some reason, she did not want to test him. "Tegan Jovanka," she answered, holding her chin defiantly. He might make her answer him, but she didn't have to be meek about it. Jandar clucked his tongue and touched the back of her knee with the edge.  
  
She gasped, barely restraining a scream as her knee buckled.  
  
With a rueful shake of his head, he watched her where she huddled on the ground. "Thank you for that answer, Tegan of Jovanka, but you showed your…defiance a little too freely. Slaves earn more when they are meek. This will be the start of your training. Learn your lessons quickly and your pain will be minimal."  
  
Tegan glared up at the man as she held her calf in a crouch, her brown eyes alit with hatred. With a gasp, she bit her lip. Now you tell me, she thought. He stood back and allowed her to rise.  
  
**  
  
The keep of the castle was full of hay and various livestock. Cassiopeia walked amongst the cattle as they listed in the open area; her nose covered in a delicate lace kerchief. She stopped and looked in shock at the animals. Her father watched her from the balcony above the courtyard. He laughed silently at the disgusted look on her face. He glanced over his shoulder at the young king.  
  
"No thank you," he sighed, waving his hand, denying himself the drink that was offered. Lazotan shook his head with a laugh and walked forward to the window. He glanced down at the open area below and the girl walking amongst the livestock. The man nodded almost proudly. "She is not fluent in the ways of other civilizations."  
  
"But as brilliant as other Time Lords."  
  
"But of course. Just…"  
  
"Sheltered?" Lazotan offered.  
  
"Yes…very," the man answered. He turned and faced the young king, eye to eye. "Enough of my family, however much I like to talk about them, Lazotan. Have you found the piece that I have asked about?"  
  
Lazotan nodded, swallowing his wine quickly in order to speak. "Apparently one of the more violent of our slaver rings has acquired the piece of which you spoke. How these scoundrels find and hoard these pieces of witchcraft and Time Lord wizardry is beyond me sometimes. Needless to say, they were rather…greedy about the piece…. the price, I'm afraid, will be rather high."  
  
"Your petty political squabbles and monetary problems do not concern me, Lazotan," the Time Lord said, leaning out the window to stare at his young, pretty daughter. "Name the price and you shall receive it. I only need the piece delivered to me whole and undamaged. It is imperative for my plans." He turned and sized up the smaller, more compact and younger, king and narrowed his dark eyes. "But if I find that you withhold the piece from me, you will feel my wrath. Your position means nothing to me."  
  
The young king widened his eyes, trying, in vain, to convey honesty. "I assure you that the piece will be delivered to you, Time Lord, in its entirety and with all due haste."  
  
With a raised eyebrow, the Time Lord nodded and faced out the window again. His daughter was gone, undoubtedly on the way up the stairs to join him. With a grin, he nodded with satisfaction. He had a task for her to do; she needed to intercept an old friend.  
  
**  
  
Adric was happy. As strange as it seemed, in the midst of his confusion, a foreign and strange planet, dressed in clothes that were somewhat uncomfortable, he was happy. He sat astride a horse, dressed in loose brown pants and a white shirt held together only by laces and a pair knee- high brown boots. No, he thought with an inaudible sigh, the clothes were uncomfortable. It was Nyssa, sitting in front of him, riding the horse sidesaddle that made him happy. She rested back against his arm, her brown curls tumbling across his skin. Her smile gave her mutual happiness away.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"This…" Nyssa answered, waving her hand towards the landscape. Adric glanced around them. There were five other horses in their traveling party: two in front of them, two in back. The sun was breaking through the branches overhead to create lacework patterns on the ground. The world was a study of brown, green and blue. The wind caused the leaves overhead to rustle and birds chirped merrily from somewhere on high. "This is just like Traken. All this nature, the peace…"  
  
"The peace is tenuous."  
  
Adric twisted in his saddle to see Elrind approach from behind. The path was just wide enough to accommodate two horses.  
  
"What do you mean?" Nyssa asked, her voice conveying her curiosity.  
  
Elrind settled from his tight sitting position into a relaxed one, his hands releasing the reins. Adric nodded a greeting. "The Doctor said that this planet was known for its beauty and peace."  
  
The elder nodded, leaning forward on his horse. "It is…I suppose…I do not associate with off-worlders enough to know about the rumors of our planet. We do not engage in large scale manslaughters that the Doctor has talked of on other planets…"  
  
"Yes…like Earth," Adric answered, agreeing.  
  
Elrind glanced off into the trees and continued. "But we do war between tribes, villages. Slavers take women; our warriors take them back. Slavers sell our women to other villages; we find them and take retribution on those who bought them. Where we do not fight large battles, we do see death, young Adric."  
  
Nyssa sighed, shaking her head. "So much beauty ruined by violence…it is the same everywhere."  
  
Adric had other concerns. "This seller's circle? I understand that they do not allow otherworlders."  
  
"The Doctor seems to have told you a fair amount about our practices. No, they do not allow otherworlders as you put it. That is why you are dressed as you are."  
  
"How do you know the Doctor?"  
  
"He helped us out before, Nyssa, and I owe him much. I will guard you as I would and will my own children."  
  
Adric sighed and Nyssa smiled. The boy's curiosity was legendary when it came to his mentor. He wanted to know what the Doctor had done for this man. "And the Doctor?"  
  
"Is on the perilous journey. He will be traveling to free your other young friend."  
  
**  
  
Kilred glanced back at the Time Lord. Although he knew little of the race other than their mythical qualities of body transformation, he had a strange notion to trust this man. For a wizard, he sat a horse well. He was without his strange light colored coat and woven sweater. In fact, he wore only a white shirt and no armor. They had recently slowed their mounts as they left the forest and climbed onto the Midridge that separated the plains from the mountain ranges in the south.  
  
"Time Lord…have you no armor?"  
  
"Hmm?" the Doctor answered, leaning forward on the horse, his hands braced against the mane. "Armor? No. Have never had any need of any. And you can call me Doctor if you wish…Time Lord is rather…formal."  
  
"You are a lord, are you not? As the lords on our world…Elrind has explained this," Kilred shook his head and stopped his horse. The mountain range rose sharply in the distance, gray and menacing against the clear blue sky. The Doctor stopped as well to gaze out at the landscape. "I do not understand…"  
  
"I am a lord…of sorts," the Doctor confided, quietly. "By training and education…not by birth…my children would not be as I am; I cannot pass the title on by birthright." He squinted in the sun. "Our destination?"  
  
"Is beyond that line of mountains in front of us…there is a pass a day's ride from here." Kilred patted his mount. "The horses should be rested before we attempt the uphill climb to take us through the passage."  
  
"Do we have a day?" the Doctor asked, pulling on the reins to turn the horse from the view. The warrior did as his companion and directed his mount away from the view and along the raised land.  
  
"The sale will be in three days. If we arrive as a pair of men wishing to purchase a woman rather than a pair of men hard bent on retrieving our mates from the slavers, we will have a better chance."  
  
"Oh…Tegan is not my mate, Kilred," the Doctor said. "From what Elrind has said, however, I gather that your mate was taken by the Nightyearners."  
  
"My Jessica…yes…" Kilred answered, spurring his mount to pass the Doctor. The Time Lord might be a good ride, but he had proven himself lacking in direction sense. He did not know how someone as smart as this man could be so…naïve about such commonsensible things as direction and armor. "She was taken two weeks ago on a raid of the village before we returned from our battle against the Welk."  
  
The Doctor nodded. "I am sorry, Kilred…we will get her out…I promise as I promise I will liberate Tegan." He waited a few moments and then continued. "I need to sample their wares, as well. I need to see what other material they have…what other…"  
  
"Wizardry?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then we should ride hard, Time Lord and camp at the base of the passage tonight."  
  
The Doctor agreed, leaning forward into his mount and allowing the horse to run almost free, neck to neck with the warrior's. 


	4. The End of the Road

Disclaimers and notes in part 1.  
  
**  
  
  
  
Kilred grunted waving his hands in agitation as a man approached he and the Doctor to take their horses. "Off with you, I'll take care of my horse, myself!" He slid off of his mount and grimaced. The rain the night before had left the ground sodden; his feet slowly sank under the mud. The Doctor leaned forward and looped off his mount with just a measure of grace. His white boots were covered in mud as well within seconds. Two small children came up and pulled at the Doctor's pant leg and he turned and bent to look at the child.  
  
"What are you about? Hmmm?"  
  
The child held out her hand, clearly asking for food. He laid his hand on the child's head and tilted it back to look at her face and eyes. With a grimace, he ruffled the child's hair; the malnutrition was plain to see.  
  
"Doctor…we don't have time…"  
  
"Yes, yes…" the Doctor answered and slowly lowered his hand. With a quick turn, he approached his horse and pulled his coat down from the pack. "Who are these people, Kilred? And do you know where this seller's circle is?"  
  
Kilred gave a young lad a piece of gold and the reins to both mounts. "I want them brushed, lad. And fed. What I gave you ought to pay for the care and more."  
  
"Yes, sir," the boy answered. Before Kilred could put his sword over his shoulder in its sheath, the child had led the horses off to a small pen. The knight swore with a vicious shake of his head.  
  
"They live in squalor here," he complained, but nodded in a direction.  
  
"You know these people?"  
  
"Most of them are kin to the Nightyearners…the slaver's group that has Jessica and your woman. But they are not treated with much respect, as you can see. What these women thought, marrying men that would sooner trade them for gold than have a family with them is beyond me. It is the children that I mourn."  
  
The Doctor glanced behind him before following the warrior out of the center of the makeshift building. "Blaming a person for a mistake made in youth, and holding them to it, Kilred, is equally qualified of mourning. These women are barely more than children themselves."  
  
Kilred angrily turned to the Time Lord, but opted to answer quietly. "I will not argue the ways here, Time Lord. But I will not have pity on the women. You asked of the seller's circle. It is in the large cave to the right." The warrior pointed to the cave system. "It is way this village is so close to the sea. They use the caves as a stronghold and meeting place. But enough, we must hurry, if you wish to view the merchandise…"  
  
"The technology?" The Doctor asked, shrugging into his coat. When Kilred glanced at him in confusion, the Doctor looked to the sky in exasperation. "Oh dear. The Time Lord Wizardry."  
  
"It will be in the side cave, there. I had been referring to the women."  
  
"Of course," the Doctor nodded. He bit his lip for a moment. "Of course we need to check on them, how long do we have until the sale?"  
  
"The sale will be this evening, I hope we have arrived here early enough to enter the seller's circle." Kilred gestured to three men standing together by the entrance of the cave. "Do you have any funds for a bribe, Time Lord?"  
  
"Heavens, no!" the Doctor looked taken aback. "I never bribe; in my experience a kind smile and glib tongue work just as well."  
  
Kilred rolled his eyes. "As does a sword, Time Lord. We will need to enter the seller's circle now. I will try to get us into the gathering. It is the only way that we will be able to see Jessica and your Tegan."  
  
"And while you are doing that, Kilred, I will peruse the technology yard sale. Two birds in the hand and all that? And she is not my Tegan, and she would be the first to set you straight." He slipped his hands into his pockets. "I will return in a moment, Kilred." With a grin, he trotted off toward the cave.  
  
Kilred sighed and strolled to the guardians of the circle.  
  
**  
  
Nyssa lifted her skirt to allow her to walk over the uneven ground. She had liked the horse riding as a method of transportation; it was relaxing. It had made her smile: the closeness with nature. For although she had been a scientist and a researcher, she had always been what her father referred to as a child of nature. Her days away from her studies on Traken had been spent lying on the grass of the meadow near home and staring at the passing clouds, listening to the birds and reveling in the aroma of a fresh new day.  
  
In all of her travels with the Doctor, this place, she thought, was the closest to her beloved Traken and her lost childhood days.  
  
But now, she walked the uneven ground, dressed in a light cotton shift with a brightly colored apron, behind Adric and Elrind. She had the alpha scanner tucked in her right hand and it admitted a low hum. That worried her slightly; the Doctor had said that the scanner would change in pitch and frequency when they neared the temporal stabilizer. It had done neither. Adric voiced his concern as he slowed his walk to converse with her.  
  
"Maybe you are holding it wrong. Maybe you haven't set it properly," he said and reached for the small scanner.  
  
Nyssa allowed him to take it, but shook her head forcefully. "No, Adric. The scanner works by detecting quasaric releases from the redivial core of the emerald damping linkages. All it requires is being turned on, Adric. Besides, the Doctor checked the settings before we left Hill's End."  
  
Elrind approached, his mouth set in a frown. "Nyssa of Traken, speed is of the essence or the bids will be set. We must arrange for our place."  
  
Adric handed the scanner back to Nyssa with a sigh. "So you are saying that the piece is not on Epsilon 3?"  
  
"No," Nyssa turned in a tight circle, spying a group of men and several piles of technology at their feet. She pointed the scanner in that direction. "No. It is on the planet, or we would get no reading at all. It is just nowhere near us."  
  
Elrind closed his eyes in anger, understanding little of the talk, but knowing that their mission was in danger of failing. "That…thing…locates this Time Lord wizardry that the Doctor needs?"  
  
Adric answered. "Yes, but it seems that the piece is not here."  
  
"So," the Elder answered, his hands falling to his lean hips. As he lowered his head, Nyssa was struck by how much the man looked like her father once had: slender, powerful and dark.  
  
Adric tapped his lips. "So, you said that the piece was here just days ago; it appears that it has since been moved."  
  
"Wizardry only serves a purpose when it is sold here. We have no use for the pieces, only the gold that it brings," Elrind answered lowly. "It will have to be at a seller's circle."  
  
Nyssa agreed. "That simplifies the situation. Where is the another seller's circle?"  
  
Elrind spun on his heel and ran back towards the horses. "The other seller's circle is where the Doctor is…"  
  
Nyssa held up her hand as Adric yelled: "Wait!"  
  
"We should see what they have elsewise," the girl advised. "If it is where the Doctor is, he will find it. We could not make it to where it is."  
  
Adric waited until Elrind rejoined them before he began to walk towards the gathered men. Elrind sighed as he straightened his vest and cloak. "I hope you are right, young Nyssa."  
  
Nyssa picked up her skirt and ran up the mud and rock to catch up the men. "It is what the Doctor would do: improvise"  
  
As she cleared the top of the hill, she saw the sun was setting. The sky was a symphony of pastel hues. The Elder cupped her elbow in his hand and quickened his pace. "Then hurry, and you as well, Adric, we need to join the buyer's circle."  
  
**  
  
"I wish I knew what the Doctor would do," Tegan complained. "Not that I would be able to do what he does, but I would feel better having a plan. Not that he would have a plan, mind you, I would have to goad him into it. That man takes improvisation to a whole new level…"  
  
"You like to talk when you are nervous, dear," Jessica commented as Tegan passed her again in her pacing.  
  
Tegan sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. At the touch of the leather against her arm, she grumbled. "I suppose I do. I've been told I am a mouth on legs. I do it when I am nervous and upset at being underdressed for a party I never had any want to attend."  
  
"Party?" Jessica rose and pushed on the woman's shoulders to get her to sit. "Your mode of speaking is strange. And do sit down."  
  
"Those brutes with the sticks are making me nervous as well," Tegan answered. She all but collapsed forward, her arms on her knees and her chin on her hand.  
  
"Then think of other things, Tegan," Jessica implored, sitting down next to her friend. "Worry will only make you feel bad and won't help the situation. Situations like this happen often here: we are taken, sold, and husbands find us and liberate us, fight for us. Or we are released for a fee. In either case, my dear, we will be returned to our families in some manner."  
  
"But are you certain? And I don't have family to fight or buy me, Jess."  
  
"This Doctor you speak of; he is not your mate?"  
  
"Good Lord, no!"  
  
"Then?"  
  
"He is from Gallifrey; I just travel with him," Tegan answered quietly. "You told me that you knew Gallifrey last night…"  
  
"The Doctor is a Time Lord?" Jessica sputtered, grabbing Tegan's arm almost painfully.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then you know of the wizardry…the Time Lord things stacked in the seller's circle…and if he is a Time Lord, Tegan, he need only mention that to acquire your immediate release. Time Lords are infinitely powerful and are revered here. No one would trifle with a Time Lord's mate."  
  
"Then you don't know the Doctor as I do. Infinitely powerful, indeed," Tegan muttered. "And he is not my mate, Jess, please." As she lifted her eyes to Jessica, she repeated: " Time Lord things stacked in the seller's circle, Jess? What kind?"  
  
"Long boards, some with emerald and ruby knobs. If you are not his mate then… the wizardry would pay for your release."  
  
"What? Is that stuff in the sale with us?"  
  
"Some, but some of it was in Jandar's…stop shaking, Tegan…it was in his space."  
  
"I can't help shaking; that bloke gives me the willies. In his room, really? I wish I could see that…maybe if I had that, I might be able to bargain my way out of here," Tegan muttered. "But the sale is so close; the men are starting to salivate…"  
  
The women stopped speaking as a guard appeared at the opening of the room. Jessica grabbed at Tegan again and hissed through her teeth: "If we get separated, find me at the sale. We can try to stay together; my mate would liberate us both."  
  
The guard gestured to Tegan and the woman groaned. "I did say I wanted to see that stuff, didn't I? My auntie Vanessa always did say be careful what you wish for…" She squeezed Jess' hand. "Wish me luck; I'm going to need it."  
  
Tegan rose and walked through the crowd of other women as regally as she could clad in leather strips and silk scraps.  
  
**  
  
When the Doctor found Kilred, the Time Lord was slightly panting in exasperation and with physical exertion.  
  
"I hope you had more luck than I did, Kilred."  
  
"We are in the buyer's circle, but we arrived too late to see the women before the sale."  
  
The Doctor sighed in frustration, thrusting his hands in his pockets. "Well, in the buyer's circle is something, I suppose."  
  
"There was no wizardry?"  
  
"Less than one would see at an amateur magician trade show."  
  
"What?"  
  
The Doctor met Kilred's eyes and smiled with embarrassment mildly. "Ah yes…well…just a saying on a favorite planet of mine, Kilred, never mind." He reached out and clapped the warrior on his shoulder. "Cheer up, at least we can get Tegan and Jessica."  
  
"I hope you have a large amount of funds, Time Lord," Kilred grunted. "This woman of yours is onyx-haired, yes?"  
  
"She could be described that way, I reckon. More of a very deep red head, I would say."  
  
"She is the prime slave at the sale. She is billed as "beautiful as a jewel with hair dark as night, a sleek, soft body and as docile as a well trained mare."  
  
"Well-trained mare?" the Doctor shook his head. "Tegan, docile? Now that is a case of false advertisement or it is not her. Oh well…shall we?" the Doctor held out his hand and jammed his hat on his head.  
  
Kilred shook his head, but followed him just the same.  
  
**  
  
Cassiopeia leaned forward on her steed and gazed at the camp below. She could see the Doctor as he entered the cave; his cream colored coat was almost brilliant in the gloom. Her quarry was sited, she thought. With an order, she urged the mount forward, down the final slope.  
  
**  
  
"Give her the shot…"  
  
Tegan struggled, pulling on the arms of the men that held her. "No…" she spat.  
  
"You do not understand the finer points of this training that you have begun…" Jandar said, grabbing at her hair. As his hand wound into the thick curls, Tegan winced. The pull that followed was secondary in force to the way that his face filled her vision. She opened her mouth in an effort to keep the pain from her pulled hair from making her eyes water. "To be malleable to what your new owners want is what is expected; it does not matter if you are able to speak or not."  
  
"Don't!" she muttered. As she struggled, she spied the boards that Jessica had spoken of. They were lying on the desk.  
  
Jandar shook his head, sadly. He truly did not wish to inflict pain on her; women were much more valuable without the mental anguish that pain left in its wake. And this woman with he strength of her body and mind, onyx hair and exotic eyes would acquire a small fortune for him. "Hedon, give her the shot. I do not wish to hear her during the discipline."  
  
Tegan's eyes bore into his as she snarled. As his assistant bore down on her, she arched her back, jutting her breasts out, the leather straps biting into her skin. Her arms flailed wide, but she was unable to grab anything and as he held her hair, she could not get up off her knees. The needle sank into her flesh even as she moaned a negative exclamation. But soon, all that Jandar was assaulted with was the accusation in the woman's eyes. Her mouth moved, but she was unable to use her voice.  
  
Jandar nodded as Hedon retreated, moving to stand by the door. "Get up, woman."  
  
Tegan struggled to stand. She had been on her knees so long that the circulation in her feet was nonexistent. She pressed her hands against the ground, her eyes still accusing her captors. As she stood, she fell forward, her hands landing on the chair by Jandar. Immediately, he pressed the pain stick against her side.  
  
With a soundless gasp, she flinched.  
  
"I said, stand."  
  
Tegan tried again, rising to her feet, even as pins and needles and pain flooded her feet and calves. She stood tall.  
  
"Now…listen carefully and understand this…stubborn one. You are to be exhibited on our slave floor…"  
  
With a shake of her head, she tried to back up. Hedon moved behind her, pressing a pain stick against the small of her back. Tegan grunted wordlessly, releasing a silent scream. The stick was like liquid lightning, a spark of pain that ignited all of her nerves. She shook as her knees buckled and she fell forward to the floor.  
  
"Stand."  
  
She grabbed the side of the table, pulling herself to her feet. It was not fast enough and she received two more jabs with the pain stick before she stood tall. Jandar sighed. The woman's eyes appeared liquid as tears fell from them to course down her cheeks. "You will be exhibited, Tegan of Jovanka. And you will do as you are told, or you will be returned to your cell and will be resubmerged in your training."  
  
He walked around her, reaching out his hand to touch at the two broad bands of leather that crossed her chest. Several other lighter, gray leather strips connected the large black ones. These all were joined to a small, black shroud of a skirt. It was the wear of a slave of the Nightyearners and she wore it well. His hand crept down her back, to curve around the tight curves of her buttocks. "You are very toned. That is good. Follow me and keep your head bowed. Show your stubbornness and you will received electric lashings, am I understood?"  
  
Tegan tossed her head back and fixed a watery glare at her captor. He could not be sure, but he thought the word bastard was mouthed at him. He nodded, allowing her that small measure of control in her uncontrollable situation. His mouth curved in a smile and he snapped his fingers. "Let us go then. I have buyers that are waiting for you." Turning to his helper, he called out: " No, no, leave the wizardry. I have a private buyer coming in later." He left the room.  
  
She followed behind him so hesitantly that she received several more shocks before she reached the main open room. 


	5. Out of the frying pan...

The Time Lord stood his fists on his hips and stared at the young King. Lazotan, for his part, looked ready to launch in anger at his servant. The servant had lowered his head and held out his arms in the classic 'do as you will' pose.  
  
"What do you mean the piece was not released to your custody?" Lazotan threw his mug, ale and all, against the far wall near the hearth. The dog that had been resting against the stones at the foot of the fireplace whined and ran for the corridor. "The funds were released."  
  
The servant indicated the pouch of coins on the desk. "The leader of the Nightyearners regrets to inform you that he has another buyer who has returned his offer ten fold."  
  
The Time Lord chuckled quietly.  
  
Lazotan swung around to face the man and stared, open-mouthed, for a few seconds before he rounded on the servant. "Does he think me a fool?" he roared.  
  
The servant lowered his eyes again. "My liege, he also requested that I pass on the message: 'Foxes know of the wolves den.'"  
  
"Oh he does, does he?" the King swung around in anger, turning away from the servant. "Get out."  
  
Instead of hearing the door close, Lazotan heard a short buzzing to his right and turned to see the servant disappear from his sight. It was as if he had been swallowed by the ground. Curious, the King rounded the table to see a doll-like resemblance of the servant lying on the ground. Both enthralled and horrified, Lazotan turned to look at the Time Lord.  
  
The Master tapped his tissue compression eliminator against his chin and tilted his head to the side. "You had wished him to leave, King." He tugged at his jacket and frowned. "I am to understand that you do not have the piece that I have paid for, Lazotan, and that you do not have any idea as to where it could be. That does not bode well for you, my dear king. I will as soon use this beloved weapon of mine on you as I would any other pitiful lifeform that stands between me and the completion of my plans."  
  
**  
  
Nyssa gently laid the dimensional transcircuit back down on the blanket and sighed. Adric agreed with the sediment. He, too, had found very little useful except for a half-functional homing beacon. He supposed it could, as Tegan had once said, 'come in handy'. He had yet to understand that saying as he did with most of the idioms that the Australian woman often muttered. Sometimes he wished the TARDIS language conversion systems would act as a Thesaurus as well. He knew that that saying meant that it was useful, but exactly why that particular terminology was used was beyond him.  
  
He rubbed at his cheek and groaned.  
  
What bothered him more than the language problem, he mused, was that this incarnation of the Doctor was more prone to using Earth terms and slang than had been the last one.  
  
He missed his original Doctor…and in some respects…the emptiness of the TARDIS…after Romana and before Tegan. But he didn't mind Nyssa.  
  
He smiled at the girl as she drew along side him. "Anything?" she asked.  
  
"Just a homing beacon….you?" he grumbled.  
  
"A dimensional stabilizer energy board and two argon capsules. Some electronics. I have them all in the sack."  
  
Adric sighed. "But no temporal stabilizer…"  
  
"No, but we had not expected it here, Adric…remember?" Nyssa shook her head. Adric could see the exhaustion in his friend's stance. Elrind must have noticed it as well. He appeared at Nyssa's elbow and supported her with an arm about her waist. Adric frowned.  
  
"You are tired, Nyssa of Traken," he stated.  
  
She nodded, putting a hand to her brow. "I'm afraid so…it must be the long hours on the horse and the sale."  
  
"And not finding anything of value," Adric grumbled. He slipped the homing beacon into his pocket.  
  
Elrind smiled, and the expression brought new life to his angled, severe visage. He held up a long board, complete with sapphire knobs and orange switches. "This is Time Lord…technology, is it not?"  
  
Adric grabbed for the piece as Nyssa exclaimed: "It's a temporal accelerator interlaced circuit."  
  
"This is a good find, I take it," Elrind smiled, burying his hands in his dark cape and sleeves.  
  
"If a TARDIS has a burned out temporal stabilizer, often it has problems in the TAIC that caused the ionic feedback. If you replace the stabilizer and not the TAIC and the problem still exists, you will short out the new stabilizer just as quickly."  
  
Elrind's smile disappeared quickly and he looked perplexed. Adric groaned and touched at the man's arm. "Yes, it is a good find. What Nyssa is trying to say is a TARDIS will go…zap as my companion, Tegan would say…if you replace one without the other."  
  
Nyssa gave a tight lipped smile at her friend. "We must get this to the Doctor; I have a feeling he will need this as well. Others will search for it soon."  
  
Adric frowned. "Your empathy again?"  
  
Nyssa nodded and rubbed her temples. "Yes…someone or something has powerful telepathic abilities on this planet; my head hurts from it. But I can sense that someone or something thinks us ill and wants these TARDIS parts badly enough to kill for them."  
  
**  
  
Cassiopeia held up the seal of the King and was given free access to the camp. As she slid from her saddle, the horn sounded that called the buyers to the circle.  
  
**  
  
The Doctor pushed through the crowd of men with muttered apologies and a grimace. It was more like a mob than a gathering for an auction. Kilred walked behind him, barely acknowledging those around him. The warrior's broad build and powerful chest served to cut through the crowd as a Cutter would an ice field thought the Time Lord. But where his new friend was broad, the Doctor was tall. He stopped some meters from the raised stone circle; his height awarded him an unobstructed view.  
  
His distance was a blessing, he thought, wrinkling his nose. It seemed that few of his neighbors washed. "Not friendly with soap, are you?" he whispered, closing his eyes momentarily.  
  
Kilred stifled a smile, forced as the emotion was. "Their lack of hygiene offends you, Doctor?"  
  
"No, Kilred, just their aroma." The Time Lord answered his voice full of untimely humor. He gave a tight mouthed grin as the nearest man turned to him.  
  
The warrior shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned into the strange man he had befriended and whispered: "They are bringing in the women now. Are you sure that you do not have the funds to procure our women?"  
  
"I'm afraid not, Kilred."  
  
"Then you have a plan, Time Lord?"  
  
"I suppose I will have to come up with one." The Doctor was squinting at the dais.  
  
Kilred reached over his shoulder and touched the hilt of his sword. The Doctor frowned. "Heavens me, Kilred, don't you ever consider talking? You know, I once had a companion….Leela…you put me in a mind of her. "  
  
"You wish to steal our women and talk your way out of a Pirate's den?" Kilred groaned. "You are not a fool, Time Lord, you are insane."  
  
The Time Lord nodded. "I have been told worse, but you do have a point, Kilred. Talking, I don't think will suffice. Improvisation, then."  
  
  
  
They both quieted as the women were led onto the dais from a secluded annex. The warrior hissed and tensed as his tall blond wife was led out onto the stage. "Jessica?" the Doctor asked, quietly.  
  
Kilred answered by growling.  
  
"I can't see Tegan," the Doctor mumbled as he shoved his hands in his pockets.  
  
Kilred started to answer the strange man when the Time Lord reached over and grabbed his arm. His eyes scanned the women as they were led into the circle below. He had asked before what the Doctor's friend looked like. The man's description was of a small woman, petite with dark hair and dark eyes. Most of the women were blond, so when a tiny woman with dark hair entered the room, he guess it was this Tegan the man had mentioned. He watched as the girl hesitated at the door and was pain stick assaulted from behind.  
  
The hissed breath through the clenched teeth of his companion left no question that it was indeed his friend. "No."  
  
Kilred shook his head as the man glanced at him. He could see the anger swimming in the dark blue eyes of his new friend. "That is your Tegan?"  
  
"Yes…what are they doing to her?"  
  
"Pain sticking…control for stubborn prisoners and the like. I have seen it used on men…used on slaves because it leaves no scar," Kilred offered.  
  
The Doctor grunted under his breath.  
  
**  
  
Tegan saw Jessica through her teary eyes and made her way over to her friend slowly and with slow measured steps. The pain was playing havoc with her muscles. Jessica reached out to let Tegan slump against her taller body. The young woman breathed a sigh of relief and a mouthed a curse.  
  
"It matters not, Tegan. It is too late to do us any good. We can only hope for a kind sale and my husband later…or your Time Lord."  
  
  
  
**  
  
Kilred dropped his hand from the Doctor's shoulder. Although his face showed none of it, his shoulder was tight with stress. The Doctor spun around quickly, glancing at the back of the cavern. The walls were made of stone, but the door sealing the room and its respective jam was wood. He also spied a rather large pile of hay near the center, in the crowd. "That will do wonderfully, Kilred, my friend," he clapped the warrior on his shoulder. He looked upwards and saw a wooden catwalk and airholes toward the top of the cave. "Tell me: you aren't afraid of fire are you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good! That helps matters. Get over by the dais. Near Jessica. I will create a diversion and meet you there." He spun around to face the stage, and sighed when the warrior didn't move. He shooed him. "Run along."  
  
As the warrior walked, slowly, toward the stage, the Doctor eased back toward the hay pile and the lone torch on the wall.  
  
**  
  
  
  
Tegan's eyes widened as she saw the familiar flail of a cream colored cricketers coat. She clutched at Jessica at the same time the woman saw her husband. A small shake of Kilred's head stilled Jessica's shout of surprise.  
  
Tegan trained her sight on the Doctor, watching his progress across the floor. As he reached the wall, he turned slowly his hands behind his back. Then he was grabbing the torch and touching it to the pile of hay. A few sticks ignited. He turned away quickly to the back door. He pulled out a small packet of something and threw it at the base of the jam. The torch followed along behind it. When he turned back toward the stage and took a skipping step to run across the floor, the mob began to panic from the flames in their mist. She lost sight of him. But as everyone began to move, she remembered the piece in Jandar's room.  
  
She shook off Jessica's arm and stumbled for the door she had just entered through, despite the other woman's shout.  
  
**  
  
Kilred jumped to the stage, extending his arm and gathering his wife to him. His sword was already drawn. The Time Lord leapt to the stage right behind the warrior. He spun around on his feet. "Where's Tegan?!" he yelled.  
  
Jessica pointed toward the inner door, but before she could say anything, the Doctor muttered: "Stupid girl." He took off at a dead run for the internal door.  
  
**  
  
Tegan stumbled into the room and to the desk. There was no one else around. Blindly, she grabbed the piece she had seen earlier. As she turned, the Doctor entered, his form filling the door. "Tegan! Time to leave!"  
  
She heaved herself away from the desk and toward the door. The Doctor grunted, reaching out for her hand. He turned around and ran for the door, pulling the weak and befuddled girl behind him. As the broke out into the main room, Kilred met them. "Now what, Time Lord, you seemed to have burned our only way back to sunlight."  
  
The Doctor ran for the side of the wall, pulling Tegan. He shouted back over his shoulder. "No, I haven't. Kilred, grab the rope on the wall. And hold on. It should hold the four of us."  
  
"What will?!" Kilred yelled, turning to the wall and the rope.  
  
"Our method of transportation," the Doctor returned, reaching up to grab the rope, untying it from its mooring. "On the count of three, Kilred."  
  
"One," he yelled. "Tegan, put your arms around my neck."  
  
"Two, hold on tightly and don't let go." Tegan tucked the board into the Doctor's pocket and latched onto his neck.  
  
"Three."  
  
The ropes were released simultaneously and the four people flew upwards toward the catwalk, away from the flames, as a large metal ring supporting hundreds of candles crashed to the ground. 


	6. Into the Fire

Tegan hadn't said a word.  
  
That was strange, the Doctor supposed. He had expected a shouting match when he had climbed out the air hole and hauled Tegan out behind him. He had also anticipated an argument when he had run across the village pulling her along with him. He had predicted his ears would be burning by the time he had grabbed the horses' reins and jumped into the saddle, hoisting her up behind him on the horses' back.  
  
But then, as the horse galloped across the village green and gained ground, up the hill and toward the near mountain range away from the sea, talking was impossible. He had only yelled over his shoulder for her to hold onto his waist. Kilred, the armed one, was galloping behind them, covering their back. Whatever it was that Tegan had stuffed in his pocket was digging into his thigh. But he kept the pounding pace up as the mountains neared and the sound of the pirates' horses behind them grew in pitch.  
  
Kilred spurred his horse up next to his. "They are catching us."  
  
"They are single riders on larger horses," the Doctor yelled back over the wind and hoof beats. "Physics is on their side."  
  
"What do you suggest, Time Lord?"  
  
The Doctor rolled his eyes to the side and slapped the reins against the horses' back. "If we can't outrun them, my suggestion would be to hide."  
  
Jessica yelled over Kilred's shoulder. "The forgotten woods."  
  
Kilred glanced over his shoulder at his wife and then sharply turned his horse toward the forest on the near side of the mountain range. "We might be able to make it at that…."  
  
The Doctor wheeled his horse, turning a sharp ninety degree angle and then urged it back to a full gallop to follow his friend. And, through all of this, Tegan remained silent.  
  
It was beginning to worry him.  
  
**  
  
Nyssa sat bolt upright in the wagon, panting awoken out of a dead sleep. Around her, there was the sound of a camp at sleep. The other women that she shared the wagon with were silent, lying prone. She took a deep breath and blinked her eyes.  
  
"What by the keeper…" she sighed, as she pulled aside her covers and climbed to the entrance. The men were camped out about the wagon and she climbed down searching for Adric. They had met up with the fellow Hill's End travelers as they had left the sale. Elrind had said it was safer in numbers and the wagon afforded Nyssa a place to sleep. She hadn't argued.  
  
It took only her hand on Adric's to waken him. He sat up quickly. "Nyssa…" he hissed. "What is it? What's the matter?"  
  
"A bad feeling…where is that piece that we found?"  
  
"Here…" he patted the blankets next to him. "It's safe. You should get back into the wagon."  
  
"I just have the most profound feeling that we are in danger and that the Doctor is in worse, Adric. I can't shake the feeling." She implored, looking close to tears.  
  
"And having no sleep will only make it worse if something does happen, Nyssa," he said patiently. "Elrind will protect us from danger and the Doctor will get Tegan. Everything will be all right, you'll see."  
  
"I sincerely hope so," Nyssa answered as she stood. "I hope you are right."  
  
**  
  
"Cassiopeia, my lovely daughter."  
  
Cassiopeia lowered her head as she accepted her father's praise. The Master's visage filled her hand comm screen. "Father…the Doctor has absconded with his friend."  
  
"And the temporal stabilizer?"  
  
"It is missing from the compound, as expected. The woman, Tegan, seems to have taken it."  
  
"Jandar?"  
  
"He awaits here for you."  
  
The Master nodded with a secretive smile. "But you, my dear, have other plans."  
  
"The Nightyearners will follow the Doctor and that warrior he has befriended, but there is the chance that he will slip through even your fingers."  
  
"It would not be the first time."  
  
"I think we should find additional collateral with which to tempt him to give up the piece: His other companions."  
  
The Master threw back his head and laughed. "Ever resourceful, my dear."  
  
**  
  
Tegan gripped at the Doctor's waist, leaning into his back. She pressed her cheek against his frock coat. She had ridden horses before, but never bareback, never half naked, never at this speed, and never with a horde of angry men in hot pursuit. She couldn't yell, scream or cry out; she had tried, but no sound had come out. But it didn't matter some how, she thought, as she tightened her thighs into the horseflesh. All that mattered was staying upright on the horse's back. The wind was loud against her ears, but she could hear the beating of horse hooves nearing.  
  
Not religious, she didn't know where to begin with a prayer, but stumbled through one nonetheless.  
  
Suddenly the world grew darker and she blinked her eyes open. They were enclosed in trees; the horses' were slowing.  
  
"Hold on, Tegan, we are going downhill…"  
  
The Doctor's voice sounded deeper through his back. She did as he said, however, lacing her hands together, gripping each wrist with the other hand. The horse turned slightly sideways and she felt him pull back on its reins. They slid slowly down the slope. When they reached bottom, he spurred the horse onward to a thick grove of trees.  
  
The sound of the men following them down the hills was like apocalypse approaching to her.  
  
Darkness swallowed them and suddenly a pair of hands were grabbing at her waist. That warrior, Tegan thought numbly, he was lifting her from the stallion's back. The Doctor bounded out of the saddle and quickly grabbed the food pouch and blanket. He hissed something at Kilred in a strange language, but the other man understood and Tegan was taken away. Jessica was holding out her hands for her and as she felt the woman's cool fingers, Tegan finally allowed her muscles and mind, tortured from the pain stick, to relax and she drifted in away in a deep sleep. The last thing she heard was the sound of the Doctor's hand slapping against wet horseflesh.  
  
**  
  
  
  
At first there was nothing but the sound of the creek, women doing laundry and children playing. Then there was the sound of thunder that was somehow unlike thunder; it continued on and on, growing in pitch. Alerted by the sound, one mother slapped down her laundry and ran up the slight slope. She was out of breath by the time that she reached her child but still gathered the toddler to her arms. She took four stumbling steps back out of the road as tens upon scores of large black stallions galloped down the lane.  
  
The Master glared at the woman and child as he rode next to the King.  
  
"Are all your subjects as dimwitted?" he asked, prodding his horse into a full gallop.  
  
"They are simple people. Most refuse to acknowledge other planets, although it is no secret that other planets exist. We have visits from enough other societies that it should be common knowledge. Most view Gallifreyans as wizards or, in the odd case, a god," Lazotan grunted, urging his mount to keep up with the Master. "Not pressing the issue and allowing them to remain ignorant allows for ease in maintaining control."  
  
The Master nodded and leaned into his mount. "And this camp? This mountain range?"  
  
"It is but a day's ride, but if they have hidden in the woods…"  
  
With a chuckle low in timbre, the Master answered him: "Leave the sorcery to the sorcerer, my dear King."  
  
**  
  
Jessica shook her head. Tegan had been given an injection; she had been afraid of that. The mark was clear on the woman's upper arm. Where the pain stick had touched her skin, there were tiny muscle spasms, but no marks. She didn't blame the woman for passing out; their captors had not been gentle in the use of the pain stick.  
  
At least she had an answer for the Time Lord as he jumped down into the cold cellar to see to his woman.  
  
"She has been injected with the voice silencer, Time Lord. Her voice will be gone for at least a day."  
  
"What?" the Doctor slid to sit near Tegan's head. In the low, cramped space of the cold cellar, there was little room to stand. Around them, piled in expectation of winter, were vegetables.  
  
Kilred went to answer, but the Doctor grabbed his arm. Overhead, they could here the footsteps of men and horse. Jessica leaned into her husband and squeezed her eyes shut, muttering a prayer to her deity. Kilred pulled her head against his chest and glanced at the ceiling. Muffled voices came through the ground and the Doctor tried to understand what was said. His accentuated Gallifreyan ears caught the conversation as it played out above them.  
  
"They seem to have split up."  
  
"Aye…one horse's steps lead toward the river, the other toward the mountain range, Jandar."  
  
Silence.  
  
"You pride yourselves as trackers…find them."  
  
"All right, all right…."  
  
Hoofbeats steadily moved overhead. Then a shouted order to those departing: "I don't care if the men or women are brought back alive, all I require is the piece they carry. That is worth more than their collective weight in gold. Kill them if it is easier."  
  
The Doctor rolled his eyes. Yes, kill us indeed. Killing was always easier. He held his breath as it appeared that the pirates were doing a once more around above his head. And then there was the sound of several horses leaving the area at a full trot. Kilred opened his mouth, but the Doctor shook his head and held his finger against his lips. He could still hear a single scout above head, but soon he too left, trotting off in the direction they had all come.  
  
"They've gone," the Doctor said, quietly.  
  
"That was very tricky, Time Lord," Kilred said, squeezing his wife in a hug before letting her go. "And very smart…our horses will run into the hills for hours, if not days. They will follow them indefinitely."  
  
"Yes…well…" the Doctor answered. "I have been around the block, Kilred, and have learned a thing or two."  
  
"And by slapping off our horses, you have left us on foot."  
  
"There is always a downside to every solution, I'm afraid."  
  
"It is a very long walk, indeed," Jessica offered.  
  
"I like long walks," the Doctor completed the conversation with a wide smile. "Hello, Jessica. I'm the Doctor."  
  
"Tegan's Time Lord," Jessica nodded. "She spoke of you."  
  
"Not well, I expect, especially if she was frightened or angry," the Doctor reached into his breast pocket and brought out a small halogen torch. He set it on the ground and illuminated the interior. He gave their surroundings only a cursory glance, noting that it was indeed a cold cellar. There were vegetables, and some cured meat. A very small trickle of a stream flowed through its floor. It was in that water that the Doctor dipped a small handkerchief into to lay upon Tegan's forehead. "We should stay here for a little while, maybe until nightfall…and then we should be on our way. Now…Jessica, you were saying? Tegan was injected. With what?"  
  
"It is a voice silencer. A potion that is made by the village healer women from herbs in the forest. It makes a person unable to talk," Jessica offered. "I thought it was the case when she did not talk on the dais."  
  
"There is something wrong if Tegan cannot talk," the Doctor concluded. "But I am more worried about her current state of unconsciousness."  
  
"She has not been entirely well these last two days," Jessica said.  
  
Kilred saw the first real sign of worry on the Doctor's face. The Time Lord stopped applying the kerchief to the woman's forehead and glanced at his wife. The strength of the gaze made Jessica squirm uncomfortably. "Unwell? How?"  
  
"Nothing serious. Just malaise, tightness in chest, a slight headache. It was the pain stick that worried me, Time Lord."  
  
"Just Doctor, please, and that pain stick is inhumane," the Doctor pressed. He shook his head. "There is nothing I can do until she wakes up. I suppose the sleep will do her good."  
  
Kilred tired of the illness conversation and prodded the Doctor to think of their coming trek. How did the man feel they were going to be able to clear the mountains on foot?  
  
"Slowly," was the gleeful answer.  
  
And how did the Time Lord think they would be able to outwit the Nightyearners.  
  
"When one plays chess, Kilred, one does not win by just moving his pieces. He wins by knowing ahead of time where his opponent will move their king. After all, the game is not won or lost by the pawns, but the King."  
  
Kilred shook his head. He wondered if the man was touched. Jessica prodded him into silence. And then, the three travelers stretched out, in corners and on the cramped floor for rest in the coming travel.  
  
**  
  
Cassiopeia slowed her mount and squinted into the evening darkness. She could see the myriad of lights, lanterns and candles that a large traveling camp would employ for light. If her guess was correct, this was the group from Hill's End for which she searched. All she needed to do was to approach the camp with the seal that her father had given her to be allowed shelter and safety in the traveling group.  
  
She had changed her clothing appropriately: a dark skirt, light apron and white shirt. She slipped her hair bonnet upon her head, hiding her dark long hair. With a nudge to her mount, she approached the camp.  
  
Sure enough, the sentry stopped her with a yell.  
  
"I approach for sanctuary," she called back, trying to hide her richly accented voice. She edged the horse forward and held up the small seal. It was a seal for the village of River Wall. She was immediately allowed sanctuary in the traveling group. She eased her horse to the wagon and she was escorted to the women's tent and wagon for sleep. The girl, Nyssa, was talking, smiling with the other women. Cassiopeia smiled widely. It was as easy as her father said to twist their goodness and naiveté until it became a weakness.  
  
** 


	7. Knee-deep

Elrind looked sideways at Adric. The young lad was keeping his seat well on the horse, but looked ill at ease with women. Two of the younger girls from the village were riding a horse even with the boy and had been for the last hour. They attempted several times to draw him into conversation, but he seemed only able to talk about mathematical concepts and his life traveling with the Doctor. But the girls were more interested in his father's land. When he figured that out, he quieted and smiled.  
  
Nyssa had laughed at the look on her friend's face. It was only her laughter, which Elrind equated to a bubbling brook, which made the boy embarrassed. The girl was riding her own mount behind Adric, sidesaddle and proudly. It was Elrind's thought that the girl was of noble birth. Both of his charges were pleasant enough, answering his questions and listening to his orders and dictates. If he only had to deal with their well-being, this trip would not be a problem.  
  
It was people like the young woman who rode along side Nyssa, cantering her horse to remain in step with the girl's, that bothered him. There was a feeling that he could not shake that unsettled the Elder. But the new woman was well-dressed and carried the protective seal of River Fall. He was obliged through blood and bond to honor the seal and accept her into his camp, his home, his village should the need present itself.  
  
And it had.  
  
His thoughts were removed from the girl's as a scout from the head of the party rode back to alert him to the upcoming river crossing at Hidedell. He urged his mount forward.  
  
Nyssa watched the Elder ride ahead with an amused look. "He watches me as closely as my own father did."  
  
"A kind man then?" Cassiopeia asked. "I have heard of the Elder of Hill's End…that he is a benevolent sort of man."  
  
Nyssa nodded. "He would have been a leader on my planet as well. It is a kind of trait that we revere in our leaders. And you?" Nyssa settled her hands on the reins and smiled. "You are not from River Fall originally, are you?"  
  
"Why do you ask?" Cassiopeia adjusted her seat as well.  
  
"Your accent is different," Nyssa smiled widely as the woman appeared embarrassed. "Don't worry. I am not from Hill's End either. I know what it is like to be a traveler and have to adjust to new situations and places and accept things as they occur. You are a traveler, aren't you? And you have settled in River Fall."  
  
Cassiopeia nodded. "I am not from this planet, but have been left here by my people…I am as some say…an orphan?"  
  
"As am I, in a way," Nyssa stated, glancing off at the trees for a few steps. Suddenly driven by impulse, she leaned forward and reached across the short distance to touch the other woman's sleeve. "I know how you feel, you poor dear. Do you know of your people?"  
  
Cassiopeia sighed. "Yes…my father was the last member of my family that was alive when we…came here. I have often hoped that he might still be alive."  
  
"There is always hope," Nyssa encouraged her. "Maybe we can help you. When the Doctor gets back to the village, he might be able to help you."  
  
"I hope someone might," Cassiopeia answered, and smiled back at the young Trakenite.  
  
"As the Doctor would say, 'brave heart'," Nyssa added and leaned into her horse. She nodded at Adric. "We should help him, I think. He is not used to interactions of that type." With a wide smile, she urged her mount to catch Adric.  
  
Cassiopeia kept her head down until the girl was ahead of her. Then she raised her face with an evil smile. "I am quite sure that the Doctor can help me," she whispered.  
  
**  
  
Tegan's eyes snapped open and she felt Jessica's hand against her forehead, keeping her down.  
  
"Stay where you are, Tegan…you are not well."  
  
Tegan groaned in her head and mouthed: "Tell me something I DON'T know." She struggled until Jessica allowed her to sit. When she had fallen asleep she had not been wearing the Doctor's frock coat, but as she sat there, she was thankful she had it to draw it about her shoulders. There was a definite chill in the air. And it was night. She opened her mouth, but shook her head in anger as no sound came out.  
  
"Your voice will be gone for another few hours, at least, Tegan, depending on how much of the serum they gave you," Jessica explained. "And your friend, that Time Lord, has gone with Kilred to make sure our pursuers have not backtracked."  
  
Tegan rolled her eyes and pulled on the Doctor's coat. After a few moments, she sat forward unsteadily and searched through the Doctor's pockets. She was still digging through them when the Doctor and Kilred came back into clearing.  
  
"Are you looking for this, Tegan?" the Doctor asked, crouching down by her and holding out the small circuit board.  
  
With a relieved nod, Tegan rested back against a tree trunk. The Doctor smiled and reached to tuck it into the pocket of his coat. "Somehow, through chance, Miss Tegan, you found the very piece I was looking for…the Temporal Stabilizer. Thank you."  
  
Tegan opened her mouth, but no sound came out and she stamped her foot in frustration. The Doctor stopped her small temper tantrum by laying the back of his hand against her forehead. Jessica agreed as he frowned. "She is not well, Doctor."  
  
"Yes…" the Doctor groaned. "Tegan, you have a fever," he accused. He nodded toward the kerchief. "Jessica, did you fill the water container?"  
  
The woman nodded, "And I have already soaked the kerchief."  
  
Kilred groaned. "We should make a start. Is your woman able to walk?"  
  
Tegan shook off Jessica's hand and stood, leaning back into the tree. As she stood, she teetered slightly and then pushed away from the trunk. The Doctor nodded knowingly. "That is Tegan for I am fine, and I am no one's woman. Although I think I can argue the first point, it is no mind. We do need to make a start."  
  
Kilred helped Jessica to her feet and slipped the pack over his shoulders. The Doctor threw a matching pack over his shoulders and nodded in a direction. "North, you said, Kilred, correct? That way is north…" he stated, pointing to the left. With a groan, the warrior turned from escorting his wife.  
  
"Time Lord? You know direction? I have had to lead you…"  
  
"Moss grows on the north part of the trunk in this hemisphere on this planet, Kilred," the Doctor knelt and felt around the trunk for a moment. He rose and dusted his hand off on the pants. "And the moss is on that side of the tree. Besides, the Moonstone River flows North/South and it is but a few hundred yards to our front. If these pirates track as well as you say, and as they boast I might add, then we will need to loose our scent and trail. Walking in and out of the river in the direction afforded to by our left will do quite nicely. Additionally, I remember this forest to our right when we came up the main road to the camp. If we were headed south coming into the camp and the forest was on our right, then we need to head to our left as we are facing the main road…" he grinned widely in the deepening night. "All things considered and all facts supporting one another, I do believe that we need to head….left…"  
  
Kilred closed his mouth and nodded. All that the Doctor said was true. "Then why the problems earlier, Doctor?"  
  
"Sometimes I am indecisive when given free rein as to direction," the Doctor said, candidly.  
  
Tegan rolled her eyes. 'Try indecisive all the time, Doc, and you have it just about right,' she thought. As it seemed that they were all going to talk half the night and her friend was going to give boyscout lessons, she decided to push the issue. With a few testing steps, she began to pick her way toward the river that the Doctor had mentioned. When she reached there, hopefully the lot of them would have followed her.  
  
Kilred grinned as the small onyx-haired beauty pressed past the Time Lord and began to walk through the trees. His wife dropped his hand and reached out to catch the girl's hand. Together, they began to walk through the trees. Kilred's long strides had him in the lead quickly. That left the Doctor standing in the clearing. He tucked his hands in his pockets and sighed. "Yes, well….I suppose that direction is useless without movement." And then he too followed, walking quickly to take up the rear.  
  
**  
  
"The twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth royal regimen of archers, and two battalions of warriors, and horsemen from the ten royal shires…"  
  
The Master leaned forward and glanced out at the camp that stretched forever into the foothills. When his horse balked at the switch in weight, he patted its neck. With a wide smile, he adjusted his woolen cloak about his shoulders. The King's small party had traveled for the night, riding their mounts hard into the night. The morning mist was heavy on the ground, but even that could not mask the sheer numbers of tents. The King adjusted his mount and held his arms wide. "I show you the might of Epsilon 3, Time Lord. This is but the royal army. I have hundreds more to call upon."  
  
"And the pirates?" the Master asked, his voice gritty from the morning air. "They are on your call as well. I have seen your business dealings first hand."  
  
"Some yes, some no. The Nightyearners are the largest and are now against me. But they will not be for long," the King said. "My personal guard will ride to deal with them. They await only your presence to begin their search."  
  
The Master nodded. "I appreciate your attention to detail and I appreciate the guard. Your men should not kill the pirates until we have the direction that my enemy has taken. I need only the direction…I can fetch him out simply beyond that."  
  
"I want only to know the name of the village that gave birth to the bastard that took the piece you seek."  
  
With a chuckle, the Master leaned back in his saddle. "The village was Gallifrey, my dear king. And bastard is a truer name than the one he has given himself. But you draw these number of warriors together now not to chase my nemesis, Lazotan. You have other plans as well. You seek to overturn the lords of the realm."  
  
Before the King could answer, the Master lifted a finger. "I approve, Lazotan…more than you know. And I might be convinced to join your cause."  
  
"But…"  
  
"With me on your side, King, you will not lose. I am your humble servant in that respect…I seek only for the piece to my TARDIS."  
  
"And your daughter?"  
  
"She has traveled to intercept others that seek to harm you." The Master narrowed his eyes. "Epsilon 3 needs solid undisputed rule. Gallifrey knows of this and stands behind me on this point. It is time that you unite your rule."  
  
"Then so be it, Time Lord…a pact…with Gallifrey on my side, there is nothing to fear."  
  
**  
  
The Doctor turned, glancing behind them. To his right and ahead, he heard Jessica and Tegan splashing through the river. It was hard going, knee deep in frigid mountain water, and he could see and feel that Tegan was weakening. The moon was getting ready to set and he had estimated that they had cleared five to six miles. He shook his head and quickened his stride to match Tegan and Jessica. He glanced over Tegan's dark head to the other woman. Jessica returned his glance.  
  
"Whatever it is, you two….out with it."  
  
Jessica smiled. The Doctor allowed the side of his mouth to twitch. Tegan's voice was low, gritty and very dark, but she was talking once more.  
  
Tegan stepped over a fallen sodden log and glanced back at the Doctor. "Out with it, Doc…"  
  
"How do you feel?"  
  
"Achy and sore…those brutes with the cattle prods weren't gentle…and my throat feels like fire…" Tegan grumbled.  
  
The Doctor didn't answer her, but looked back at Jessica. "Is the throat a side-effect of the serum?"  
  
"No…not usually…" Jessica confided.  
  
"Hmmm," the Doctor issued and removed a hand from balancing his pack on his back. Tegan tried to avoid his touch as he pressed his wrist against her brow. He frowned, stopped Tegan and himself and felt about her neck, pressing in on her lymph nodes. "I wonder."  
  
"About? What's the matter, Doc?" Tegan swallowed hard and grumbled as he picked up her wrist and felt her temperature there. "Come on…"  
  
"I truly don't know what is the matter, Tegan," he said, ushering her to continue walking. "It does not appear to be serious…possibly just a common cold. Epsilon 3 is similar in microflora to Earth. Just let me know if your symptoms intensify…chills, aches, pains, headache…the usual gambit."  
  
"Great…travel half way across the universe only to end up with a head cold…" Tegan complained.  
  
The Doctor smiled. "Same effervescent Tegan."  
  
With a frown, she waded to the bank and walked on the mud for a couple of steps. "Where are we going? And what was that thing I stuck in your pocket…that temporal stabilizer?"  
  
"To Hill's End and that temporal stabilizer is why we are here at all, Tegan. I can't leave that lying around where someone else can find it and use it…"  
  
"Playing galactic policeman again, Doc?"  
  
"No…" he pressed a hand against her back to get her moving more quickly. "Epsilon 3 is known as a Gallifreyan junk yard in a manner of speaking. And Time Lords that are unable to return for fixes on their TARDIS and time traveling races will sometimes come here and would sell their own soul for a piece of Gallifreyan technology. A temporal stabilizer is the perfect lure for any and all of them…as is any other part of a TARDIS…"  
  
"Heavens, think they have a Heathrow finder for that crate of yours?"  
  
**  
  
Jandar steadied his horse and allowed it to stamp its feet impatiently. From the edge of the forest, he could see the bridge over the Upper Creek. The main road from the West Country and the Royal Shire crossed the water there. He sighed and rubbed a single gloved finger over his lips. A scout came up arrived, serving only to move his eyes from the bridge for a moment. "Report…"  
  
"The women and the men are still missing, Jandar."  
  
The pirate swore. "And the Time Lord who calls himself the Master? I have his daughter's word that he would join us here…."  
  
"A score of horsemen were sighted moving through the Western forest, sir…"  
  
Their conversation was drowned out as the thunder of horse hooves harkening the arrival of heavily armored cavalry sounded on the timber of the bridge. Jandar lowered his hand to grip at the reins of his horse almost painfully. The scout's mount reared and was hard to quiet. "Hell's hounds…"  
  
Jandar gathered the reins and squeezed his thighs into the flesh of his stallion. As he turned away and spurred his horse to turn to the camp, he hissed: "Close enough, Jilwil…they fly the Royal banner…'tis a trick. Ride to the sentries and have them loop back…attack from the rear. Twenty horsemen, even if they are well armed, are no match for our numbers. Go!" And then the leader disappeared in a swirl of purple cloak and black leather.  
  
**  
  
The Master rode at the fore of the King's guard. He saw the pirate leader leave the swish of the horse's tail and the sound of a large horse going through underbrush. With a smile, he held up his hand to stop the horses. As they slowed and stopped, he called back to them. "I will approach these pirates alone. My heritage as a Lord of Time will keep me safe. I can inquire of the direction and location of the piece I require and then the leader…and his band of rabble…will be all yours to deal with as you see fit."  
  
"He will not talk…" the Captain of the guard stated.  
  
"Oh, but my dear Captain…he will…you forget the powers that I possess…" the Master said, quietly, with some menace.  
  
"Damn sorcerers…" the Captain spit out. "We will do as you say, Time Lord."  
  
The Master nodded with glee and kicked his horse into movement.  
  
**  
  
"Forward!"  
  
Jandar unsheathed his sword and pointed at the entry. Behind him, a rag tag collection of men with swords and axes on foot, horses with unarmored men, horses with armored men, some archers, began to rank and file. As they surged toward the main path out of the camp, the sound of a lone horse and a frantic rider was heard.  
  
"Sanctuary! Sanctuary!"  
  
With a flicked wrist, the leader held up his hand to stop the masses. A single black horse with a man dressed completely in black appeared at the entrance of the camp. Jandar immediately recognized him as the Time Lord he had dealt with for the piece. Out of want to still seal a deal, the pirate allowed the man to approach.  
  
"Time Lord…" he yelled across the distance. "Give one reason why we should let you live?"  
  
"The King has sent those guards to kill you and yours, Jandar," the Master returned. "And I have come to fulfill my daughter's promise. I am here to find the piece I require."  
  
"How do I know you tell the truth?"  
  
The Master's jaw worked for a moment, as if he was savoring a very tasty meal. "I bring you the present of the guards. They wait at the landing of the bridge. They are trapped…and a very easy kill…"  
  
Jandar studied his buyer closely. Then, suddenly, as though he had come to a very tough decision, he waved his hand in the air. "You heard him, men…we have a gift of royal flesh today…kill them!"  
  
As the horses roared past the resting Time Lord, he threw back his head and laughed. He watched as they thundered up the path and into the muted filtered midday light of a deep forest. Jandar reared his horse and remained where he was, staring at his buyer. The Master lifted his chin to address him again as the noise died down a little: "And I bring more news…of the Lords and the King…something that will interest you immensely, I think, Jandar."  
  
The leader nodded. "I am quite sure that it will, Lord Master." And then with a shouted order, Jandar jumped his horse ahead and up the path toward the starting battle.  
  
The Master grinned, rubbing his finger over his lips, as if smoothing his mustache. "This is all too easy…" 


	8. The darkest before the dawn

The Doctor held back a branch to look at the main South Country road. It was normally a wide stretch of cleared land with several rutted passages showing both the age and the well-honed use of the path. But at this moment, there was nothing to stir the air except the bird song, a gentle spring breeze and, much to his dismay, a steady light rain.  
  
To his right, the underbrush suddenly rustled and he frowned as Kilred appeared at his elbow.  
  
"Anything, Doctor?"  
  
"Nothing…" the Time Lord answered, rubbing his hands together for warmth. "This is the main road to Hill's End? You are sure?"  
  
"As I am of my own name," the warrior answered. He shook his head. "This road should be well traversed; I have never seen no horses here."  
  
"Hmm. It appears that there is something going on here that we are not aware of…"  
  
Kilred balanced on the balls of his feet, adjusting his sword. "I have a bad feeling about this…"  
  
"As do I, Kilred, but unfortuneately, we are in need of transportation. Tegan cannot go much further."  
  
The warrior nodded, biting his lip. "Your woman is very ill, isn't she?"  
  
"Yes…well…" the Doctor sighed, "what might have been just a cold, Kilred, has been worsened by four days walking on foot in water and rain. She was not well to begin with…now…" he shook his head. "I don't know what her illness is, but I do know that she will worsen still if we cannot get her shelter soon." He glanced at his friend and slapped his shoulder with a smile. "Cheer up, Kilred…it will take much more than what she has to kill Tegan."  
  
"You should check on her; Jessica sent me here to find you."  
  
That made the Doctor's smile disappear. "Worsened, has she?"  
  
Kilred nodded and moved aside to let the Time Lord slide out of the underbrush. The warrior watched him go and returned to staring at the road. The illness of the woman worried him. He liked the Time Lord's woman well enough; she had as much spunk as the Doctor did knowledge. But the lack of traffic on such a major thorough way was even more worrisome.  
  
**  
  
  
  
Tegan awoke with her head on the Doctor's shoulder. She tried to move her legs, but found them trapped between the Doctor's calves and another pair of bare legs. They were rocking back and forth slowly. Her fever was higher, she thought and reached to adjust the coat for cool air, but the Doctor stilled her hand.  
  
Voices came to her as far away and then became recognizable.  
  
"But why so few travelers on this road?" The Doctor was saying. "I am to understand from my friend here that this is a major road in the South Country."  
  
"Yes, it is…but with all the combat in the East…"  
  
"Combat?" Tegan heard Kilred say; he sounded angry. She shifted, trying to sit up. Her hand bunched the Doctor's sweater, but he stilled her hand again.  
  
"Eh….haven't you heard? You must have been under a stone…where do you think we are all from? The royals and the houses are warring all over the place."  
  
"Yeah…had to leave the village…"  
  
"Which one?" Tegan felt rather than heard the Doctor ask. "Which village?"  
  
"River Fall."  
  
"Eh…they were moving west from there. What with the pirates, the houses, and the royals…"  
  
"Yeah…they were fightin' all over the place…"  
  
Tegan had had enough and fought to sit. The Doctor relented and helped her up, leaning her back into the side of the wagon as she saw when she blinked her eyes open. Jessica sat to her immediate right, wrapped up in a cloak. Immediately racked with coughing, she was unable to talk.  
  
"I know what you are going to ask, Tegan," the Doctor said, quietly, adjusting his lapels to cover her completely. "You have been asleep for a day. These good people…" she turned her head slightly to see the three women, two men and children that littered the bin of the open wagon. She trained her eyes back on the Doctor's face. "These good people offered us a lift. They were headed in our direction in rather a hurry."  
  
"Am…" she cleared her throat. The Doctor leaned in to hear her. "Am I better?"  
  
He bit his lip. "I was rather hoping the illness was viral, Tegan. It isn't. Somehow you have ended up with pneumonia."  
  
"Great," she whispered back with a frown. "I'm hot…" she tried to pull back on his lapels, but he shook his head. Jessica stilled her hands. "No, Tegan."  
  
"No?" she coughed.  
  
"Ah…no, Tegan," the Doctor agreed with Jessica. "I need to keep you warm and dry, if that is at all possible in this weather." He drew the coat tight about her. "We are a day and a half outside of Hill's End. When we reach there, we can gather up Nyssa and Adric and get you back to the TARDIS. Until then, I need you to remain covered, warm and as still as possible. Back in the TARDIS, all this would require is a shot…here…"  
  
"I've had…pneumonia before…" she took a deep breath and coughed. "Just feel like a bloody truck has hit me…"  
  
"Your woman…?" a man leaned forward, holding out a blanket. "She is very ill…"  
  
"Yes…" the Doctor took the blanket with a smile and tucked it about her. Tegan frowned, but found that she could not keep her eyes open. As she blinked, the Doctor sat back against the wagon side and eased her against his flank. "And don't argue."  
  
"I feel too awful…to argue…" she stated. Before she could say anymore and before the Doctor was completely settled next to her, she was asleep.  
  
The last thing she heard was the Doctor telling her: "If the worst thing we have to worry about on this adventure, Tegan, is you ill…all things considered…this is practically a vacation. At least I don't have to worry about Nyssa and Adric…"  
  
**  
  
Nyssa ran.  
  
Her skirts were held up, but even with no hampering of her steps, she was still unable to match Adric's strides. He was a good ten yards ahead of her as he sprinted to the door. He stopped there, dodging out of the way as several young men and a couple of children barrelled through the small portal. He reached out, ushering the girl in. As she cleared the door, it was slammed shut and barricaded.  
  
A split second later a series of loud clanging and the grating sound of metal on metal sounded outside the door.  
  
Adric gripped Nyssa's hand and ran through the corridor. When they broke into the main camp, they were surrounded with armed men and men on horses. Nyssa screamed as a rain of arrows went over their head and into the wall.  
  
"To the keep!" Elrind was shouting. Adric squinted, looking around for the place of which the Elder spoke. There was a solid looking stone building, older than the surrounding buildings. Elrind was riding his horse at a dead gallop toward the gate. With a shout, Adric ran after the horse, dodging horses and men, swords and arrows and errant flames.  
  
The Elder stopped inside wall, next to an ancient well and dismounted, landing in mud. He ran back to the door and yelled for Adric. The boy launched Nyssa ahead of him, despite her scream. When she was safely inside, Adric dove through the door.  
  
…and was bodily moved out of the way as the gate was rolled down.  
  
Nyssa leaned against the wall, her hair loose about her head and her hands pressed against the stones. She panted.  
  
"Are you all right?" Adric asked, pushing to his feet. He tried to brush off his legs, but realized that there was just as much dirt on his hands.  
  
Nyssa nodded, her mouth wide. "What is going on?"  
  
Adric limped over to her and shook his head. "I think…it appears we are under attack."  
  
"From whom?"  
  
He shook his head and reached to lead her into the main part of the building. Elrind followed along, pushing Adric and Nyssa aside gently. When the two friends were by a small arrow slit, they looked out. The Elder took a moment of pity on them and stopped to tell them one piece of information: "They are not attacking us, Adric. They are attacking each other…we, I think, are simply in the middle of it." He pointed out the slot and ran up the stairs.  
  
Adric leaned into the stone to look out, keeping Nyssa tight against his front. As far as they could see in a straight line out the slot were men and horses. There were several banners flying. Adric whistled lowly, but Nyssa turned away. "Horrible."  
  
The boy wasted no time, however, running after Elrind. "But why attack each other? And why here?"  
  
Elrind grit out from ahead. "Heavens and Gods knows, Adric. Heavens and Gods. Now, get Nyssa below with the women and then come up to the top of the stairs…we need all men we can."  
  
**  
  
The Doctor levered away from the side of the wagon with surprisingly shaky arms. He made sure Tegan's head gently lay against the wagon before he joined Kilred and another man named Urbak at the other side of the wagon. All around them and the dirt road, the wagon, were hallowed out homes, fields afire, the skeletal remains of a Goddess Shrine, and the most ghastly of all was the pile of bodies. They lay covered in crimson and mud.  
  
Urbak gasped in surprise and shock. Kilred rhythmically flexed his hand on the hilt of his sword. The Doctor breathed an expression of outrage. The smell as they neared the bodies was horrible and he eased his sweater against mouth to keep from wretching.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Tegan's voice was gritty and weak, but her twang was still recognizable. He shook his head and patted the air alongside of him to tell her to stay where she was, but she appeared at his arm nonetheless. She gazed out at the landscape, the darkening, smoke-filled, horrific landscape and gasped. She tried to cover her nose quickly, but not before she inhaled the smell.  
  
For long minutes, she stared out sights, feeling the Doctor's hand on her shoulder. He didn't try to turn her away, but rather existed there for support. With a choked gasp, she closed her eyes. "Horrible…" she muttered in between coughs. "So horrible…"  
  
"This was River Fall…" Kilred said, his voice tight.  
  
The Doctor closed his eyes and released a long exhale. "Family?"  
  
"Not mine, Jessica's…" the warrior stated, glancing at his sleeping wife. "I praise the Gods she is asleep."  
  
Urbak swore. "And they be lying out on the ground…not even a decent burial…"  
  
Kilred frowned, his chin setting. "An insult above insults. A blood oath I will swear for this."  
  
Tegan swallowed, tried to breathe and ended up grabbing the Doctor's arm. "It's…" Her breath was tight in her chest and she leaned into him.  
  
He nodded, his face set. As the last of the burned homes disappeared from sight, she eased back to the side of the wagon and he followed suit. "It's like the Holocaust," she grit out, coughing. "All those bodies…horrible…"  
  
"It happens on many planets in many societies, Tegan," the Doctor said, tucking the blanket about her again.  
  
"There must be something we can do," she said, quietly.  
  
"If you pray, I would advise praying for the families, children and those poor souls back there," he said, easing back against the wagon. "And pray that this hasn't happened to Hill's End."  
  
"And if I don't?"  
  
He slipped his arm around her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. His silence told her more than words ever could. After a little while, he sighed. "Where there is life there is hope, you know. And so long as one alive remembers, Tegan, there is the hope that something like that will not happen again. If we can stop this from happening somewhere else, we will. Brave heart."  
  
Tegan lifted a hand to her cheek and realized that she was crying.  
  
**  
  
The child that held her neck had long since gone to sleep, but Nyssa kept her in her arms. She looked out the window to the masses of tents, horses and men that had conglomerated as far as the eye could see. Long before attempts on entry of the keep by either side had ceased, but they were still trapped within the walls. She thought back to their arrival in Hill's End just twelve hours previous. There had been no warning of the coming plague of war. She had even had time to show Cassi the TARDIS and explain of her travels before there had been shouts of warning and then the running and bloodshed and terror…  
  
Cassi laid her hand on her shoulder in the grim of the room. Both girls had busied themselves taking care of children that had been separated from their parents.  
  
"We are safe here," Cassi quietly reassured her.  
  
"I know," Nyssa said, easing to the ground. "I just worry for those out there…"  
  
**  
  
Adric rested back against the wall, holding the crossbow that he was given. He hadn't pointed out that he had no idea of how fire the thing. In his mind, violence had never helped anything and he couldn't see how killing another person would, in the long run, fix the situation. Elrind sat next to him, occasionally looking back over the wall.  
  
"Well?" Adric asked.  
  
"We are secure," Elrind answered quietly. "They are not trying to attack us, Adric. But if we get in the way, or put ourselves in their way…"  
  
"But why do they fight?" Adric asked, his voice disbelieving. "What reason do they have?"  
  
"Those on the left and on the fields are the King's men. He commands the legions. On the opposite side are the pirates and the Houses of Lords that rebel against the King," Elrind shook his head. "And they fight for what all men fight for, boy…power." Elrind sighed and stared heavenward for a few moments. "It has happened before here, just never on this scale. Our village will be wiped from the face of the planet."  
  
"And you are calm about this?" Adric asked, incredulously.  
  
Elrind shook his head. "I can keep as many of my people safe and alive as I can. Fields and homes come and go. But life? That is a bit more important."  
  
**  
  
The morning broke over the hills and mountains as the horse drawn wagon slowed and stopped at the apex of the foothills. The Doctor laid his hand on the driver to lend his support. He squinted into the new morning and then lowered his head. Tegan levered herself next to the Time Lord to stare at the scene below. It had been Hill's End; she remembered the statue next to the milemarker when she and the others had passed it on their way exploring.  
  
Now…there was nothing by tents and men. Houses, homes, and fields had disappeared under a sea of bodies. The only permanent building standing was the stone keep.  
  
Tegan groaned. "Oh no." 


	9. Never Look a Gift Horse In the Mouth

Tegan pulled the Doc's sweater about her shoulders and climbed out of the wagon. She never knew how the Doctor would always find someone who would give him the benefit of the doubt, but she was glad for that talent of his nonetheless. Although they were camped in the Lord Houses camp, they were still close enough to the battlefield to see and consequently smell death as it laid on the fields.  
  
The sweater she wore was long enough to cover her to her mid thighs and was more conservative than his coat had been. Still, she felt cold and wide open. She and Jessica were the only women other than the camp followers and that fact made her uneasy.  
  
She stopped to cough heavily and then continued. The Doctor heard her and turned from his conversation with Kilred. Around them, other men, dressed in battle armor, were milling. The only thing she heard before the talking ceased was: "Your plan, Time Lord, is an all or none proposition."  
  
"Tegan, what are you doing here?" he admonished. He walked quickly to her and turned her around by her shoulders. "Get back to the wagon and stay there, as I asked."  
  
"You were helping them to plan an attack?" she asked, incredulous. "Doc…they do know that you abhor violence and that weapons are not your style at all, right?"  
  
He fell into step next to her and escorted her back to the wagon. She stopped and he turned, exasperated. "Tegan."  
  
"I want to help."  
  
"Not now, Tegan. There is nothing you can do. Not right now…except get back in that wagon for my peace of mind."  
  
"But…"  
  
He pushed her, gently, ahead of him. "You do want to get Nyssa and Adric out of there, don't you? Please, Tegan, do as I ask. When the time is right, I'll come and get you." He stopped her abruptly and lifted her into the wagon.  
  
"But…" she said, turning to the Doctor. "What are you going to do?"  
  
The Doctor sighed. "You are right that weapons are not my style, Tegan, but I do know a little bit about logistics and strategy."  
  
"You said that the King…" she began loudly, but the Doctor shushed her. "You said the King and the Pirates, when they combined their numbers, far out numbered the Houses…"  
  
"Yes, and they do." He nodded to the bed of the wagon and Jessica. "Haven't you heard of the Trojan Horse, Tegan?" he asked with a wide smile. "Cover up and take that medicine that I gave you. I'll be back."  
  
**  
  
The Master wearily nodded in agreement with yet another leader as he bowed in homage to him. The King laughed, his overfull trench of ale swinging wide on his hand. As a splash of the amber liquid landed on his black sleeve, the Time Lord brushed at it with a frown. "Lazotan, I think that you rather underestimate the Nightyearners."  
  
"They are tiny dogs," Lazotan stated, leaning across his arm of his chair. "The only thing I fear is their berserker ways when impassioned. It is not their numbers; its their anger. But our fighters with the Nightyearners enemy pirate clans, we will overpower them with little effort."  
  
The Master shook his head. "Arrogance, when coupled with a below average intelligence, is a warrant for death, my dear very young king."  
  
"My word is law."  
  
The Master rose with a flourish and bowed lowly before the young king. "And I am your loyal servant, my lord. I will retire for the night."  
  
He strode from the tent, passing two drunk soliders, until he stood at the edge of the leader tents. Then with a sigh, he bowed under a rope and edged through the corral of horses. Within moments, he was running across the open field toward the forest that lay at the edge of the camp.  
  
**  
  
Lazotan watched the Time Lord leave the tent and ordered his trench refilled with ale. As he banged it on the arm of his chair, he narrowed his eyes. "Underestimate the Nightyearners, indeed." He swallowed a mouthful of ale and then waved his hand to one of his generals.  
  
"The sentry…have they anything to report?"  
  
"Nothing, my liege," the man bowed. "And your men are ready for your orders."  
  
"Ah, yes, but aren't they always," the King stated quietly. "We will attack the Lords at first light. Order the trebalts and the archers to light fires near the edge of the battlefield."  
  
"But the Keep that is at the center?"  
  
"Either occupy it or level it," the King answered.  
  
The general nodded, adjusting his mantel about his shoulders and over his armor. "The occupation of the Keep could offer more than its destruction. Within are villagers and renegade warriors from the Houses; we might be able to sway them to our cause. Additionally, the food and water reserves…"  
  
"I see your point," Lazotan said, quietly, narrowing his eyes at the flap in the tent where the Master had disappeared. "And I will take it under advisement, thank you, Jason. Send a guard to the Time Lord's tent. See that he arrives there…" the King said, quietly and leaned back in this chair.  
  
**  
  
"He will attack the Lords at first light," the Master said, breathing slightly hard at the run. "His flank will be open to the dead left, below the mounted archers."  
  
Jandar nodded. "We will attack as you say, Time Lord."  
  
"And our deal?"  
  
"Remains intact, Master. Once we have killed Lazotan for his treachery, and we have helped the Houses win, you can take your place as ruler of Epsilon 3. We are not interested in power…"  
  
"Only gold and trade," the Master answered. "Whereas I have no need for your monetary system. I simply wish to take my place as the ruler of this beautiful planet and bring it to the notice of the trisystem area."  
  
Jandar reached down to help the Time Lord up to his mount's back. As the Master settled on the beasts back, they sped away from the edge of the trees and toward a rather dark den of assassins.  
  
**  
  
The Doctor wiped at his eyes tiredly and began again to sketch out a plan for a small wagon. Sometimes he wished that he carried two pairs of spectacles. The light from the candles was weak as well putting a strain on his eyes. Although he usually didn't sleep, the physically exhausting route that they had traveled for the last six days, the arrival at the Lords camp and the last day of planning had left him weary.  
  
Kilred was perched at the flap of their tent and Tegan and Jessica were quietly sleeping in the interior, beyond the second flap. Occasionally he would hear one or the other of them quietly speak in their sleep before silence would continue.  
  
Opting to take a slight break before his right eye gave out on him, he rose and stretched next to the table. He closed his eyes and pressed his hands against his lower back. Maybe he was getting too old for this; maybe he should have left these types of adventures to his younger incarnations.  
  
"Not bad, if I say so myself."  
  
The Doctor jumped and then growled out a greeting to Tegan in the form of: "Tegan…what are you doing?"  
  
"I'm awake. And don't tell me to go back to sleep…I've been sleeping for a week, it seems and I can't keep my eyes closed. Before you ask, my chest is still tight, but I can breathe just fine. And it appears that you seem to be having problems. Have you slept?"  
  
"No." He sighed in exasperation. "And I don't intend to…I don't need to, Tegan. But since you are adamant about remaining awake…" he waved his hands at the table and the two pieces of paper laid next to the sole flickering candle. "What do you think?"  
  
"Artistically or logisitically?" she asked, moving to the table and moving around the paper, nearer to the candle. "As I said…not bad….artistically…"  
  
"Well I was not planning on entering it in a contest, Tegan. It is simply to give to the idea to the Lords. I am asking them to place their best swordsmen at peril." He raised a hand to his brow, squeezing at the bridge of his nose. "Had best have something legible for them, don't you think?"  
  
Tegan shrugged and sat down at the table, drawing the blanket about her shoulders. She traced the outline of the meticulously drawn wagon. It was evident, mostly from the boldly lettered containers, that it was meant to be a supply wagon. There were containers of ale, and boxes of cabbages and meats. "How do you expect to get men into this wagon…it would either have to be a right big wagon or the men are going to have to be very small, or very few in number, Doc."  
  
He nodded. "It is planned for the largest wagon that they have…the one that the villages drove in here with us aboard." He pointed at the dimensions and various calculations that he had done in the corner of the paper. She groaned as it was all in calculus.  
  
"As if I can tell what you have written there, Doc…its all maths…like a foreign language that is to me."  
  
He squinted at the paper and then smiled, as if amused by the paper. "And that is Gallifreyan, Tegan. I had forgotten that the TARDIS will not translate written word. To put it simply," he leaned into the table next to her. "To put it simply, with there being at least two layers of boxes on each side, with the least amount of food in each and still be viewed as supply cart, we would only be allowed…" he squinted at the paper. "…about six men and myself."  
  
"Six men?" Tegan asked, loudly and incredulously. "Six men? Doctor…you are not asking them to put themselves in peril…you are asking them to commit suicide."  
  
"And myself, Tegan."  
  
"All right…you are going to commit mass murder and your own death. Do me a favor…this time…when you regenerate…"  
  
"Hush, Tegan. Did you know your voice gets less easier to understand when you get upset? No…I will be fine."  
  
"But…" she rolled her eyes. "Wait a minute…you said you were going to get Nyssa and Adric out and that you are also going to help these Lords win…was that last part a lie? The keep is not in the Lords possession…or the other side for that matter."  
  
"It will be by nightfall tonight, Tegan."  
  
"Eh? How do you know that? You said you didn't know their history here…"  
  
"The King would not have moved against the Houses unless supported. The pirates, I believe, he bought. And once this battle is over, they will part company again. The King will need the keep. He will need it to reinforce his warriors with food and water. The Lords are separate houses and no one house has alligence from the others…if one leader is killed, that house will have anarchy. The Nightyearners, with your friend Jandar, are to the East in the forests. If I know anything about battles, the King will try to attack the Lords with a full frontal assault to drive them back long enough to get inside the keep. They will then use the pirates clans to drive the Lords away…possibly to the west."  
  
"You must be hell to play chess against."  
  
"Be quiet, Tegan, and listen. The King is supported by someone not of this planet, Tegan. And whoever he is supported by is only using him. I have to not only take out the King the person who is supporting him. The Houses will agree to withdraw slowly…to throw the fight as it were, to allow the King to take the keep. Once that has happened…by tomorrow night…a call will be put out for supplies from the local towns and villages. And at that point, the wagon will go in. It is only an assassination force, Tegan…not a fighting force. We need only to find and take out the King and his support. I want to make sure Nyssa and Adric and Elrind are alive and well and I am quite curious about this support…I have a bad feeling…call it Time Lord intuition that it is another Gallifreyan."  
  
"But we have the piece that you came for…can't we just get Nyssa and Ad-"  
  
"And have what happened at RiverFall happen again?" he asked lowly. Tegan guiltily looked down at her lap. "I don't know Epsilon 3's history, Tegan, at least not well, but I do know that that did not happen and not often on this planet."  
  
She nodded. After a minute, she said: "I'm going with you."  
  
"No."  
  
"Doc…"  
  
"No. It would be too dangerous, Tegan. I won't allow it."  
  
She thumped her hand on the table. Then with a sigh, she lowered her head and nodded. Suddenly, however, her head whipped up and she stared at her friend. "Hold on…you said it would only allow six men. And you want it to be an assassination force. Wouldn't women be more welcome and less questions be asked about their existence then extra men? And you could fit more women with bows and swords than men."  
  
The Doctor gaped at her for a moment and then chuckled, reaching out to clasp both of her shoulders. "Tegan…sometimes you take my breath away."  
  
She beamed proudly. "I get to go then."  
  
"The answer to that," he said, picking up the pen and straight edge again and squinting at the paper. "Is still no, Tegan."  
  
** 


	10. By the Dawn's Early Light

Adric peered over the wall. Daybreak had been punctuated by the shrill cry of a battle horn and the thunderous sound of hundreds, maybe thousands of horses charging across the field. Elrind lay next to him, looking as he did, between the raised stones of the wall. The sight was a horrible one.  
  
Banners covered in blood, the flash of swords, the whistle of arrows, the shouts, cries of men in pain, in death throes; it was a study of tangible, tactile, profound sounds and sights. Adric closed his eyes slowly as a young knight, possibly not much older than he was, felled from his horse barely meters from the front of the keep.  
  
He opened his eyes quickly as Nyssa crawled up alongside of him and stared out at the battle.  
  
"What are you doing?" he complained-asked. It came out as a hiss.  
  
"Milady Nyssa, you should be below with the women…" Elrind answered.  
  
She slowly turned her eyes from the death and carnage below to stare at Adric. He could tell she was in shock of sorts, the amount of death shocking her beyond her comprehension. "Why?" she asked, so quietly both men had to strain to hear her. Adric lowered his head and bit his lip. How did one explain to a person who had never known warfare the intricacies of armed combat? He reached out to tightly hold her arm.  
  
Her brown eyes were like saucers as she shifted her gaze to Elrind. The elder was speaking. "They are giving a full front assault, lad…look at the way that they launch forward. They are not trying to beat them…separate them maybe…pull them apart…but they are not trying to beat them."  
  
"Then what are they doing?" Adric asked, not releasing Nyssa.  
  
Elrind rubbed at his set jaw and closed his eyes wearily. "With the way that they are splitting the front line…" he eased to his knees and stretched to look over the other side of the keep. He shook his head. "I think…and call it memory from my youth in the regimens, Adric…I think we can expect visitors tonight."  
  
"But who?" Adric pressed, reaching across Nyssa to draw her down further away from the possibility of stray arrows. "Who can we expect?"  
  
"The King," Elrind answered gloomily. "I do believe we can expect the King to arrive here soon. They need only kill or maim the heads of two houses to throw that Lords House line into disarray. Blast it beyond the Gods…we should go below and prepare. Hide what we can…we cannot fight a force that large, but we can hide what is most dear."  
  
He tapped Adric on the shoulder and motioned to the steps. Adric agreed, but had to bodily more Nyssa away from the wall. As they half stumbled, half walked down the steps to the interior, she nearly and dumbly clung to him. "No..." she breathed. "The Doctor and Tegan can't be in that, can they, Adric? Can they?"  
  
Adric groaned and slipped his arm around her waist to hasten her steps. "I sincerely hope not."  
  
**  
  
Tegan crouched down by the wheel of the wagon with Jessica. As a projectile and series of lit arrows flew close over head and there was a symphony of whistles in the air indicating incoming arrow fire, Tegan pushed hard on Jessica's shoulder and rolled with her under the belly of the wagon. The area where they had been was littered with lighted arrows. Tegan groaned and crawled to the foot of the wagon and slowly rose on her knees to look into the bed of the cart. There were several small lit arrows flaming in the interior.  
  
"Hell's Teeth!" she shouted, and launched up into the bed. Jessica was right behind her to glance at what she was doing. The woman turned and yelled back. "Jessica…the blanket! We have to put these out!"  
  
Jessica ripped the blanket from the ground and threw it to Tegan. As she did, she turned and glanced at the battle. The wagon was off of the battlefield proper, stationed in a small cluster of trees. The horse had been commandeered and they and a few other women were using the wooden wagon as a place for shelter. Tegan was the only one who knew its later purpose, though.  
  
The Australian danced around on the bed, snuffing the flames with blanket and her bare feet.  
  
Jessica ducked as another series of wayward arrows launched overhead. "For the love of the Gods, Tegan. Get down here."  
  
"I can't…we need…the wagon…" Tegan shouted and turned to throw the blanket on another small fire.  
  
With a shout, Jessica grabbed Tegan's ankle and sent the woman sprawling as the another hail of arrows and a stray ball of fire flew overhead. "They don't teach self-perseverence on that planet of yours, do they?" Jessica screamed.  
  
**  
  
The Doctor had allowed for convention, finally, Kilred thought, as he spied the Time Lord in a vest of leather armor with a solid breast plate. He had even changed into plain brown pants. Upon Kilred's shouted comment, the Time Lord had yelled back about 'not wanting to draw attention'. That had raised Kilred's eyebrows and had given him a smile even in the dire circumstances: there was no way that the Time Lord could not draw attention.  
  
The Doctor frowned and had secured a bow and arrows and a stray sword from a page. "I'm sorry, Kilred. You see…warfare…I am…I mean…"  
  
The warrior waved his hands in the air. "It is not your fight, Doctor." He extended his closed fists in a sign of friendship.  
  
"Ah…but it is…"  
  
"If it is another Gallifreyan or someone from this planet, Time Lord. But all I see is that bastard of a King we have on our throne out there on the field with bought pirates. When you execute your plan, Time Lord…it will become your fight."  
  
"Come with me," the Doctor extended his hand. "You will be needed."  
  
Kilred pulled on the Time Lord's shoulder and got him to duck as a series of mounted warriors ran past him. "My place is here, Doctor…I am a warrior. Your place is away…you are a thinker."  
  
"Of sorts," the Doctor joked. He appeared somber for a moment afterwards.  
  
"See to my wife, Doctor…"  
  
"Of course."  
  
They ducked again and the warrior pressed hard on his friend's shoulder. "Go…the battlefield is no place for a Time Lord who abhors violence."  
  
The Doctor nodded and extended his hand in the typical warrior pose: closed fists pointed toward the ground. With a smile, he nodded and then he was running, away from the field and toward the hidden wagon and his plan, the weapons he had taken in his possession to be used for protection. Kilred watched him go and then turned to find the warriors he had sworn to fight alongside.  
  
"May the Gods protect you," he whispered and then disappeared into the throng.  
  
**  
  
The Doctor slid to a halt as he spied Tegan on the bed of the wagon. Jessica reached up and pulled on her ankle as another hail of arrows went over head and the Doctor hissed through his teeth. He had forgotten how dogged Tegan could be when presented with a cause. He crouched and watched as Tegan threw the blanket and patted at a fire even from her prone position.  
  
Tegan growled and reached for another small arrow as she felt a stronger hand on her ankle. "Not now, Tegan!" the Doctor yelled, pulling on her leg. "Get under cover."  
  
"The wagon!" she protested.  
  
"Will be quite all right," he shouted back and pulled hard as a ball of fire went over their heads. "But you will not be…get under the wagon!"  
  
She slid to the edge and jumped, watching as the Doctor half-threw, half- placed his weaponry under the bed of the wagon. "Doc?"  
  
"Questions later, Tegan."  
  
She crawled with him under the wood carriage. "Swords and…" she picked up an arrow. "Arrows? Doctor?"  
  
"Yes…well…this is not a Sunday picnic, Tegan. Jessica, get further under the wagon…Mary and Linso? You as well," the Doctor answered and pushed on Tegan's legs to get her further under the wagon.  
  
"But Doc…do you even know how to use…"  
  
"I was taught swords by some of the best Master's in Europe and arrows by archers in the Middle ages…of course I know how to use them and I will do so for protection of you, anyone here or myself, Tegan. Just because I will not go into battle…"  
  
"I never expected you to…"  
  
He frowned and laid down on his stomach.  
  
"So now what do we do, other than try to come out of this alive?" she demanded, coughing.  
  
"Brave heart, Tegan. Lay low…it will be over in a few hours."  
  
**  
  
The Master sat astride his horse and watched as several riders entered the foray of the battle. He had often hypothesized that assassination would most easily happen under the blanket of battle. With so much fighting, those around the intended target would only look for the correct banner or correct colors to define them as friend or foe. If the correct colors were used…  
  
From afar, it looked only as a bunch of horses crowding around the King and those nearest him at the edge of the battlefield. And then there was the flash of steel in the sun and then…a crimson covered body tumbling from its saddle to the ground. With a wide smile, the Master turned and urged his horse down from its perch toward the edge of the battle. It was time for his entrance…time to claim his position as leader.  
  
**  
  
Jandar smiled and withdrew his sword, wiping the crimson lifeblood on his leg. Then with a shout, he spurred his horse in a circle and urged on the fighting men. It was important to gain the keep. For it was upon its cornerstone the Master could be hailed as the new King.  
  
**  
  
The Doctor pressed Tegan's head down as several horses ran past the wagon. As one of them slowed, he reached to press the sword into her hand and grabbed at the bow, only to find a dagger in her fist already. With a surprised grunt, he glanced at his friend. She returned his look with a "what did you expect" look of her own. It was a mute point, however, as the horse soon left, roaring back toward the battle.  
  
As they left, the Doctor sighed and released some of his tension. He did hate bloodshed and violence if it could be avoided.  
  
"Is it almost over?"  
  
For a moment, the Doctor appeared to be checking the weather. He stared at the sky. And then he answered her. "I would think so, Tegan. Why don't you get some rest?"  
  
"What? In the middle of…"  
  
"You've slept through worse."  
  
She rolled her eyes. Sometimes that Time Lord had a skewed sense of danger.  
  
**  
  
The Doctor stood in the dark, his hand resting on Jessica's shoulders. They were staring out at the battlefield. It had been a hellacious battle: bodies of horses and men lay strewn on the open field.  
  
He harumphed and turned, rolling down his sleeves. "Jessica…"  
  
"He is fine, Time Lord, I can feel it."  
  
"You are a very brave woman," he confirmed. He glanced down at the bow he held and passed it to her. "There is a small wagon leaving for Morning's Hill…"  
  
"I will not leave until I see Kilred…alive or dead, Doctor," she said, quietly.  
  
With a nod, the Doctor continued. "Very well. Stay under cover and away from the field, venture back to the camp…they moved a mile to the West. The Houses of Oler and Nigle know of me and Kilred…they will offer you asylum until you have heard about him." He bit his lip. "I'm going to send Tegan back with you."  
  
Jessica nodded. Turning slightly, she saw the boxes loaded onto the wagon and several warrior women archers within its depths. Two men stood to the side, waiting for the Doctor. "You must go. May the Gods protect you, Time Lord. And thank you for all that you have done."  
  
The Doctor smiled a small grin. "May they smile upon you as well, Jessica." He turned and walked toward the wagon.  
  
It was the work of the hour getting the horses attached to the wagon and the warriors onboard, tightly without crowding them. With a waved hand and a frown, the Doctor accepted a small hug from Tegan in goodbye. He watched her walk to the edge of the trees before he helped finish the hitching of the mounts to the yoke.  
  
When all was taken care of, he addressed the drivers. They were warriors as well. "We need only get inside and parked as close to the main keep as possible and yet as out of straight sight as possible."  
  
"Aye, Time Lord…we can do that…"  
  
The Doctor nodded and walked to the back of the wagon, within minutes he was inside and it was rocking from side to side. He made his way to the front with his sword; to be at the back would be disastrous. He needed to be out of the way when the warriors exited. He simply wanted to find Adric and Nyssa and the support…  
  
He stepped on a foot and was confronted with a very familiar sounding hiss. With rolled eyes and an exasperated sigh, he moaned: "Tegan."  
  
Although there was very little light in the interior, he imagined he could still see the chagrined look on her face. "Hello, Doctor." 


	11. Check?

"Tegan!"  
  
She shushed him, shaking her head to him in the gloom. "Doctor…they are my friends too…and we are in this together, you know."  
  
Tegan rolled her eyes as she felt him lean toward her. She could always tell when the man was gearing up to give her a lecture. "Look Doctor…"  
  
"What were you thinking, Tegan? Do you even know how to use a weapon…we are going into a small war…"  
  
"I was not going to let you go without me. End of argument, Doctor. Now we should be quiet, don't you think?" she stated. The Doctor blustered for a moment and then sighed. She could feel him squeezing the bridge of his nose. "And believe me, I can defend myself easily. You needn't worry about that."  
  
A huntress from the doomed village of River Fall turned and voiced her opinion. Tegan had befriended her at the camp. "Time Lord…she is more than capable."  
  
"Enough," the Doctor sighed and then edged his errant companion back against the wall of the moving cart. "Stay behind me, Tegan. And do as I say, when I say…no arguments. One of these days I am going to put a lock on the TARDIS door to seal my companions inside. I rather think that is a good idea. It will save me aggrevation at least."  
  
"If you had gotten me to Heathrow…" she returned, hissing.  
  
"Adric would have still left the TARDIS to explore," he sighed.  
  
"Brave heart, Doctor…we will get them out," she gave him, with a voice that betrayed her nervousness. He smiled and returned the sentiment.  
  
"Now…do be quiet, Tegan. Please."  
  
**  
  
The lonely wagon entered the keep, amidst horses, men and armor. Women and small children delivered gourds of water and wine, food and cheese. There were supply wagons of every type and every size. The one from the rebel camp had the correct credentials and was led to a place off to the side. It finally came to a rest amidst the encouragement of several warriors' yells and a symphony of whoas and the horses snorts.  
  
As they stopped, Tegan began to sputter a cough and the Doctor pressed his hand against her mouth to quiet her and when that didn't work, he turned her harshly so that her face was pressed into the material of his shirt. She snorted a few times, but stemmed the full sound of her coughing. He held her there until the men outside had welcomed the new wagon and its wares and stumbled back to their ale. The other women and two men that had squeezed on board the wagon eased from its back slowly, glancing around them. As they did, the Doctor peeled Tegan away from his clothes and glanced at her face.  
  
"Are you all right? Good…don't do that again, please," he urged. "The object is, of course, stealth…in case you missed the class, Tegan."  
  
"There is no need to be rude about it," she eased back and shuffled to the exit. The Doctor jumped down, bringing his sheathed sword with him and reached back to catch his friend as she jumped behind him. She had two small daggers in her belt. He glanced her over and hummed, suddenly fresh with an idea.  
  
Where have the others gone?"  
  
"They have their mission, we have ours."  
  
"But…I thought…"  
  
"Yes, Tegan…I know. But as a Time Lord, I cannot interfere…not on that level. I will explain it to you, I promise," he answered, holding his hands out as if to appease her. "But not now. I simply need to find out who is or did support the King and reason with them. But primarily, I want to make sure Nyssa and Adric are safe. Now…are you with me or do you wish to remain here?"  
  
Tegan held out her hand to usher him ahead of her. "You first, Doc…I'm right behind you."  
  
"Yes. Thank you. And do stay with me…no running off."  
  
He nudged her arm and nodded to the side and then two of them crept along the side of the stable and toward the large stone building at the center of the camp.  
  
**  
  
Elrind sat at the table next to the man who called himself the Master. He was a Time Lord that was all that the elder knew of his guest. To him, the Master seemed a small man, slight of build compared to the warriors but on equal with the Doctor. He was dressed completely in black with a serpentine silver motive about his collar. His hair was dark, signifying probably more than anything else, his off-worlder status. But as Elrind allowed his trencher of ale to be filled, his eyes centered on what made him the most unease about the diminutive figure: the purple mantel of the King about his shoulders.  
  
Although Lazotan had been corrupt, Elrind knew that the Master was pure evil. It was with a sinking feeling in his gut that he knew his world was to be lorded over by a man such as this. But, unless several legions of men from the Lords arrived, the Nightyearners, and the other pirate clans that had been rallied to their side during the fight. His main hall was filled to the rafters with drunk, excitable and thoroughly criminal pirates, slavers and stealers.  
  
He was thankful that he had sent Nyssa, Adric and that girl Cassiopeia to the cellars. At least they were safe and out of sight down there. Nyssa was far too innocent in his opinion to be subject to this. Women were being manhandled and toyed with, food and jewels were being taken. His own warriors lined the walls, but were under careful watch from an equal number of pirates. It was…as the Doctor had told him once…a catch-22 situation.  
  
"Ah…Elder Elrind, you seem…preoccupied."  
  
He turned back to address the Master with what he hoped was a bland expression on his face. "I am sorry, my Lord Master. I was simply considering the state of my stores and kitchens and hope for enough meat and ale to please my guests."  
  
"Equitable to the last, Elrind."  
  
"For your pleasure, my lord. I only wish to please."  
  
"Yes…the ale and the meat is excellent, Elrind," the Master answered, leaning across the table. "But it is the entertainment that is lacking. I notice a shortage of women. And although I do not require no wish for their presence here, my friends here do. Where are they…do you have them hidden somewhere? Perhaps with the relics of your local shrines and with the family heirlooms?"  
  
Elrind opened his mouth, but was quieted as the Master chuckled. "Keep your secrets…it matters not to me. I have what I want…" he fingered the cloak about his shoulders. "But I would keep my loyal warriors happy if you wish for the integrity of your keep."  
  
**  
  
Jandar rested back against the stones next to the massive hearth and watched the interaction between the Time Lord and the Elder. The Master had offered any riches in the keep would be he and his men's but there had been blessed little to loot. As he watched the Elder closely, he saw him exchange a glance with a young man hidden in the shadows of the hall. With a smile, evil in its own intent, he pushed away from the wall to follow the man as he left the hall.  
  
**  
  
Nyssa sat upon a large wooden keg, her legs crossed. Adric leaned against the wall next to her. Each few minutes brought a roar of laughter or the clash of steel from overhead. Both of them were still…more from exhaustion and depression than from lack of ability to do something. Cassiopeia sat on the ledge with several baskets and contemplated her captives-innocents. She could feel the press of her father's mind. It was only a small amount of time before he would spring his trap.  
  
**  
  
The Doctor held his finger up to his lips and patted the air next to him. Tegan obediently pressed against the wall. For a few minutes, the Doctor silently assessed the entrance to the great hall, its occupants and the total lack of extra entrances. He, too, pressed back against the wall and hissed to his companion: "There seems to be a problem."  
  
"Too many of them?" she asked.  
  
"That and I cannot see the main table. I have a feeling the King and whoever is his support will be there." He bit his lip. "And I can't see Nyssa or Adric."  
  
She edged around him and looked around the corner at the room in spite of the Doctor's angry sigh at her action. As she returned to her position, she asked: "Well, Doc? What's the plan?"  
  
"I hadn't made one yet," he admitted. "We need to get in there to see whoever it is that is in charge. With the amount of slavers and pirates in there, I highly doubt it is Lazotan. Something must have happened that we are unaware of. Something deadly."  
  
She nodded, understanding. "So…do you just need to know who is in the room? Or do you wish to speak to them?"  
  
"Speaking is best done one on one, I think, Tegan. And I rather think that my conversation skills will not be on equal with the ale." He answered, whispering. "No, no. We need to find out who or what is the ruler and about Adric and Nyssa."  
  
Tegan nodded once decidedly and pressed back further into the slight alcove by a coat of armor. The Doctor turned and surveyed the room again. "I just…wonder…if I could find a man of Elrind's that recognizes me…I might be able to get a message to him."  
  
Tegan was silent. The Doctor turned quickly to see Tegan stripping off the last of her clothes to reveal her leather slave costume. "Tegan?" he asked his voice unsteady. "Waltzing in there…if that is what you are thinking…is not a good idea. And do you forget that they know you?"  
  
Tegan took a deep breath and rejoined him at the wall. "If I don't catch anyone's eyes, I can get away with it. And don't scare me anymore, Doc…I'm scared enough to do this already….but if knowing what is going on in that room is the only way that we have to make sure Adric and Nyssa are safe…then I have to do it. You…dressed in that excuse of a Robin Hood costume…would not last a second. I'm rather hoping the men will be looking other places on me than my face…as much as I hate to say that."  
  
The Doctor sighed. "If you get captured, Tegan, I'll have three of you to get out."  
  
"And if we both stay here," she said, her voice deep and forceful. "We will never get them out. Right…I'm going in. I'll meet you at the door to the kitchen."  
  
He rolled his eyes and growled under his breath as his impulsive but sensible companion slowly walked into the hall, keeping toward the walls. With a smile, he saw that she had the two daggers tucked into the back of the leather. "She has a point," he agreed to himself and waited a few moments and then crept along the corridor towards the kitchen.  
  
**  
  
Tegan kept her head angled down and walked slowly and deliberately across the hall. She had found a large container of ale inside the door and crept along, filling trenches and cups as she went. The Hall was larger than she had thought it was, and she had trouble getting across the room without walking out into the open. As she entered, she saw that monster Jandar leave through a side door and breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was one less man to contend with, she thought.  
  
Before she was a quarter of the way across, a large arm reached up and drew her down on an equally large lap. She slapped at the chest and was released as the man laid a wet and sloppy kiss on her mouth. Laughter filled her ears and then she was walking across the room again. The main table, she guessed was ten feet from her when she saw a man about whom she often had nightmares. She stopped dead in her tracks and shivered.  
  
"Oh no."  
  
**  
  
The Doctor crouched in the door of the kitchen, in the shadows of the door and watched as Tegan slowed and then stopped. He could not see the table still and he fought the urge to slap the stones in anger. Tegan was seeing someone she knew and hated, that much he could tell, but who?  
  
**  
  
Laughter and shouts around her died and suddenly she heard: "Miss Jovanka, it is a pleasure to see you again. And so informally attired as well."  
  
"You!" she spat. "How did you get away from Castrovalva?"  
  
**  
  
The Doctor groaned under his breath and gripped the wall. The Master.  
  
"I'm an idiot…I should have realized," he said quietly.  
  
**  
  
Cassiopeia suddenly started and rose off of the shelf. Adric watched her movement and then knitted his brows together. "Cassie? What are you doing?"  
  
With a smile that would have made her father proud, she produced a small knob like device from her pocket and pointed it at them. Nyssa lifted her eyes and met hers with a smile until she saw the Tissue Compression Eliminator in Cassiopeia's hand. Then confusion reigned. "Cassie? No…not you."  
  
The raven haired girl gestured toward the door. Her father had been right. It was a thrill to hold such power in her hand, but there was a slight let down feeling that the plan had been sprung with little or no problem. She yearned for the thrill of competition. Still, there was a plan to finish and a universe to explore with her father. "I believe that my father requires your presence above stair, my friends. If you would be so good as to climb the stairs ahead of me. Adric, I would not try to be a hero either. I am quite good with this weapon, you know. I believe that you both are acquainted with it?"  
  
Adric nodded and Nyssa groaned. "Only too well."  
  
"Climb the stairs then."  
  
**  
  
Tegan began to walk backwards slowly but felt a man come up behind her and stop her.  
  
"I believe, my dear, that you know my loyal friend, Jandar?"  
  
"Bloody Hell," she growled as her arms were taken roughly. She tried to say more, but saw first Adric and then Nyssa appear at the head of the stair to the cellar. She felt like laughing despite her situation, but restrained as she saw a woman climb to ground level behind them. She was holding the TCE. Her eyes closed in disgust, but opened them again as she was half thrown toward her friends. Adric caught her before she could tumble to the ground and the three of them huddled in the center of the Hall.  
  
Nyssa slipped her arms around her friend and hugged her tightly. "Tegan."  
  
"Nyssa….Adric…am I glad to see you."  
  
The Master gestured for silence as he rose behind the table and called out loudly. "Doctor! I believe I have something dear of yours…your friends! My daughter will not hesitate to use my beloved weapon, I assure you. Show yourself!" 


	12. Match Set and Point

"I hate him," Nyssa whispered, turning her face on Tegan's shoulder away from the Master. Tegan's hands tightened on her friend's shoulders. She knew her friend hated the Master as much as she did, but Nyssa was not as comfortable with anger and hate as she was.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Tegan spat in the Master's direction. Adric stepped in front of both girl's in an effort to keep them somewhat hidden from the Time Lord.  
  
"How did you get out of Castrovalva?" Adric said, overwhelming Tegan's voice. "I thought the spacial infolding would have trapped you there."  
  
"Like you, Adric, I could see the rendering in space when the web collapsed. I only needed to dispose of the occupants of Castrovalva to leave…"  
  
"Horrible," Tegan cringed.  
  
The Master turned around, holding his hands wide. "Doctor! I tire of their conversation and company. Do not try me!"  
  
"What makes you think that he is here at all?" Tegan asked, loudly.  
  
"He collected you from the slavers a little over six days ago, Miss Jovanka, when you absconded with the piece that I require," the Master said. "If you are here, he is here."  
  
"That shows what little you know."  
  
The Master waved his hand and Jandar walked forward to separate the two girls. Tegan and Adric both grabbed for Nyssa as she was drug across the floor to the wall. Cassie stepped forward to aim the TCE at Nyssa. The girl attempted to stand fearless. Tegan shouted and ran forward, trying to throw the woman off-level. Cassie swung around and fired the TCE, missing Tegan and shrinking the table in front of a set of men. What little noise there was in the hall suddenly disappeared.  
  
Tegan reached out to hug Nyssa as Adric was turned to with the TCE. Cassie contemplated him. "Care to play the hero, Adric?"  
  
Nyssa squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the familiar hated sound of the weapon. Instead she heard the long awaited sound of her friend and protector. "All right, Master. All right."  
  
Nyssa opened her eyes to see the Doctor walking around the corner from the kitchens to the hall. His hands were held wide, palms up, as if pleading for something. He wore different clothes, his head was free of a hat and he wore a sword at his side, but it was the Doctor. And she was very happy to see him. He walked to them, slowly. As he passed Adric, he laid his hand on his shoulder and continued to the girls, touching at their shoulders as well. When he was assured that they were okay, he faced his nemesis. "Let them go. Let all of them go. It's me you want to talk to. It's me you want."  
  
"Yes, Doctor…but not entirely true. I want you to see what I have been able to orchestrate, but I want the piece that you have."  
  
"So you were behind the battles and the atrocities I have witnessed? I should have realized."  
  
The Master shrugged, turning to face the massive hearth before he turned to look at his classmate and former friend. "A simple exercise in chess, my dear Doctor. A simple exercise. Did you not know that we are all pieces on a checkerboard?"  
  
The Doctor sighed and lowered his hands. "You have always considered it all a game, Master…ever since the Academy, haven't you? And to violate our virtual Garden of Eden you believe was well within your right?" He demanded.  
  
"You believe those myths, Doctor?" the Master asked. "Typical…you subscribe to the second rate theories and secular religions, you always have."  
  
"That is not at issue. The number of deaths and the upheaval of planetary politics is. Your interference is reaching epidemic proportions."  
  
"I believe the saying on Earth for what you have just voiced is 'pot calling the kettle black'. It matters not. I need only to know that I have become the ruler of our mythical place, Doctor…it will assure my name in the annuals of Gallifrey for all time. "  
  
"You are insane," the Doctor hissed. "The Time Lords will not allow you to remain the ruler of Epsilon 3."  
  
"They cannot interfere here. They have never been able to, Doctor. You know that. To interfere would be to destroy or alter our mythos, or basis…it would be like interfering on Gallifrey. You know the reprecussions of that. I was ordained in the natural couse."  
  
  
  
"Through petty manipulation, murder and coersion!" The Doctor yelled, starting toward the Time Lord. "It will not stand. It cannot stand."  
  
"You don't approve?"  
  
"You know I can't."  
  
The Doctor turned around to glance at the members of the room. "It brings you pleasure, I suppose, that you are ruler of a society that barely understands space flight and never will attain that level of technology."  
  
"It is not the ruling of the planet that brings me pleasure…"  
  
"It is the disruption of Time Lord myths and legends," the Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets. The sword at his side rattled. "Of course."  
  
"Of course. Enough. You have the temporal stabilizer, Doctor, and I require it." The Master held his hands wide. "I could order it as the ruler of Epsilon 3, but you would not allow it, would you, Doctor?"  
  
"Of course not."  
  
"Then, my dear Doctor…we are at an impasse," the Master answered. "I do require that piece and my daughter has your friends under the gun so to speak."  
  
"Daughter is it?" the Doctor turned quickly to glance at Cassiopeia. He squinted. "Genetic immagomation from the House of Juntar. They finally had to use the same genes that you were woven from, didn't they? Shame that they couldn't destroy them. You did break the mold, Master."  
  
"As did you, although I believe the Time Tot you called Susan was woven from your loom as well. Yes, Cassie is from my basic genetic loom and no they couldn't destroy it."  
  
The Doctor smiled widely for a moment and then turned to the Master again. "This was a training mission for you, wasn't it? You are showing Cassiopeia here the ropes of Time Interference. Quite an art, isn't it, my dear girl," he called back to the woman with the weapon. "She is not evil, not yet. You have to teach her that. No one is created evil…it is a learned response. You ruined your chance of returning home and now you wish to ruin hers?" the Dcotor's voice rose until he was nearly shouting.  
  
"The want of exploration is well within the genetic realm. I am merely honing her abilities. Enough of this. Cassiopeia, the girl, Tegan. Separate her. If she moves, use the weapon; when I say, use the weapon." He turned to the Doctor with a smile. "I can guarantee that my daughter will use the TCE when I give the order."  
  
"I have no doubt of that."  
  
"Then you will turn over the temporal stabilizer?"  
  
The Doctor slipped his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels. "On one condition of my choice."  
  
"You are hardly in the position to negotiate, Doctor," the Master warned, fingering at the mantel about his neck.  
  
"And you are in desparate need of the temporal stabilizer, aren't you? You are quite restricted in travel, I would think."  
  
"Father?" Cassiopeia called, raising her second hand to hold the weapon. "He is not in…"  
  
"True, my lovely daughter, but it makes the game so much more enjoyable the longer it is played. Checkmate will occur in two moves. Allow him this false sense of victory; it makes the end so much more sweet. Very well…what is your condition?"  
  
"That you allow me the honor of trial by combat for the mantel you wear. That, my dear Master, is well within the rights of Epsilon 3. The strongest swordsman shall become king…I believe that is the second paragraph of the third amendment of the original charter."  
  
The Master laughed heartily and nodded once. "So be it. You want to challenge me for the mantel. I want the temporal stabilizer first, if you wouldn't mind." He waved his hand toward the table. "Put it there…Cassiopeia can still use the Tissue Compression Eliminator…"  
  
The Doctor glanced at his friends, met and held Tegan's eyes for a moment and then walked forward to the table. He reached into one pocket and withdrew the flat, short board and held it up in front of the Master. "I believe this is what you want."  
  
"On the table, Doctor," the Master said, lowly.  
  
"Release Tegan, Nyssa and Adric first."  
  
The Master ground his teeth, but nodded once, calling out to Cassie to lower the weapon. Tegan led Nyssa over towards Elrind who was gesturing to them. Adric walked with them, but stopped by the Doctor.  
  
"Doctor, you can't give that piece to him," he said simply.  
  
"Go over with Tegan and Nyssa, Adric," the Doctor said, still staring at the Master.  
  
"But Doctor…"  
  
"Go, Adric and no arguments." The Doctor put the piece down on the table and backed off, with his hands held up. "Elrind, if you would be so kind as to watch after Adric, Nyssa and Tegan if something should happen."  
  
With a determined look, he began to remove the swordbelt. He had to stop as Tegan grabbed his arm. "Doctor…what are you doing? Let him have the piece and let's get out of here. We can figure out something else."  
  
"No. Tegan. Trust me." He glanced down at her and pulled the sword from its sheath. "Go over with Adric and Nyssa."  
  
She opened her mouth, but Elrind grabbed her and brought her back to the others. The Doctor squared off across the small stone floor from the Master as he too removed his mantel and sword belt. There was silence as they prepared. Tegan started forward again as the Doctor came close to them. Elrind held her by the shoulders.  
  
"But why can't he tamper with the part?" Tegan asked quietly.  
  
As the two Time Lords moved towards one another, there was a shout from the doorway. The fight stopped before it began as both opponents faced the door. "No…" the Doctor called. "Kilred…this is not…"  
  
The warrior stepped forward into the light of the torches. He was bloodied, his clothes were tattered but he was in one piece. "It is, Time Lord. It is."  
  
"A duel has been declared already, primitive," the Master interjected. "Stand aside."  
  
"I owe the Doctor a life debt for myself and for my wife. I have the right to stand for him."  
  
The Doctor edged to Kilred, shaking his head. "Kilred…this is not your fight."  
  
"It is, Doctor. I know of your myths…Elrind has told me of them. I know what this planet is to your kind. But this is where I live, Time Lord…it is not simply a place of myth for me. I have a right to ask for this. I would be better suited if either winning or losing comes from this. You would not. You would simply be in the position that this monster is. No, it is my right and I ask for it."  
  
The Doctor sighed and glanced at his new friend and, after that, to his wife now standing with Tegan at the side. Then he nodded, once, slowly. "Very well, Kilred. But win, my friend. I do not want a guilty conscious; I initiated this duel." He took the helmet and breast plate of the warrior as he disrobed. "He is smaller and will use more cunning than anything else..." the Doctor warned.  
  
"I know. And as for you starting the fight, Doctor. If it had not been you, it would have been me." Kilred handed the last of his heavy armor to the Doctor. "Again…if you would see to Jessica?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
The Doctor took the last of the plate mail and backed away. The Master looked diminutive next to the towering warrior. The Time Lord looked around for one to take his place, but there were none that stepped forward to fight. Soon there was the sound of clashing steel.  
  
Jessica turned away from the fight, into Tegan's shoulder as the Doctor comforted her with a gently hand on her arm. "Brave heart…he'll be fine."  
  
Nyssa gripped at Tegan, getting the woman to turn to her. "Kilred owes the Doctor a life debt?"  
  
Tegan smiled sardonically and in passing. "We have had a busy week, Nys."  
  
They watched as the two danced around each other, steel blades swiping through the air in a symphony of metallic screeching and sighs. It seemed evenly matched, the fight, as every strike was parried and every parry was repelled. For long minutes, for an eternity, grunts and sighs from the men sounded until, the Master made a wrong move and Kilred threw him off balance. The Time Lord crashed to the ground in an undignified heap. The warrior poised over him, the blade of his sword at his neck.  
  
The Master glanced at the Doctor and toward his daughter. The Doctor caught his meaning immediately, but before the final strike could be delivered, Elrind stepped forward to call a hold.  
  
"Stay! As your elder, Kilred, I order you to stay."  
  
Kilred acknowledged him by nodding and moved backward. The Master half sat, leaning on his arms. Elrind stepped to the middle of the room and turned, facing the warriors, pirates and village folk. "Our laws call only for a trial by combat to prove the victor. It is clear that Kilred has won this battle. Is it agreed?"  
  
A round of shouted ayes sounded around the closed room. But as the elder turned to glance down at the Time Lord on the floor, he was gone. As was the girl. Adric turned and tried to run, but was stopped by the Doctor. "No, Adric…let him go. Let them both go…what was important was taken care of. We will meet him again."  
  
Adric turned and looked at the door to the kitchen and hung his head. But the Doctor laid his hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, Adric…it isn't important that he got away. Epsilon 3 was what was important. I'll explain later." 


	13. Epilogue

"Am I glad to see the TARDIS." Tegan half-laughed, half said as she laid her hand on the outside of it. "But I'll be even happier to see my own clothes again."  
  
Nyssa smiled and looked down at her dress. "Oh, I don't know, Tegan. I'm rather fond of these."  
  
"You forget what I am wearing under this get up," Tegan smiled at her friend and turned to watch the Doctor as he strolled down the path leading to the great blue box. Elrind walked on one side and Kilred, wearing the new mantle of the King, on the other. Jessica was arm in arm with her husband. She waved the woman, but was interrupted by Adric peeking around the side of the TARDIS.  
  
She glanced at him, seeing somewhat of a befuddled expression on his face and then the Doctor and his company were upon them.  
  
"Ah good, you seem to have all made here in one piece," the Doctor said, removing his hat.  
  
Adric shook his head. "Shouldn't we be after the Master, Doctor?"  
  
The Doctor squinted into the setting sun. "Yes. Although I don't think there is any rush, Adric. He can't get far…especially if he had to replace his temporal stabilizer. And I think that his TAIC will need…."  
  
With a small, wolfish smile, Adric produced the TAIC from his pocket. The Doctor chuckled and took the circuitry. Adric continued talking as the Doctor turned it over in his hands. "We found it at the sale, Doctor. Elrind did that is. And we thought…"  
  
"You thought correctly, Adric. Well done. And you too, Nyssa," he called. With a smile, he slipped it into his pocket. "It is good to see that you are both safe and well." He turned to Elrind, extending his hand. "I can't thank you enough for taking care of them, Elrind."  
  
"You have done much for us in the past, Doctor, I am simply returning the favor. Will you stay this time?"  
  
"No, no…no. We have to be on our way. As Adric pointed out, we do need to find the Master. The delay with him needing to replace both the temporal stabilizer and TAIC will give us a chance."  
  
"And he never stays in one place very long," Tegan interjected with a smile.  
  
"Yes….well…shall we? Nyssa…please?" the Doctor held out his hand and Nyssa opened the door. Then with a smile at Elrind, she disappeared inside. Adric shook the elder's hand and entered the TARDIS as well.  
  
"Will you return?" Kilred asked, staring up at the blue box. "You will always be welcome."  
  
"Thank you, Kilred, and I never say never, but I cannot say it will be as you see me…" the Doctor stepped aside as Tegan embraced Jessica. "But I think that my companions might try to convince me to stop sooner."  
  
Jessica released her friend. "May the Gods smile upon you, Tegan."  
  
"And you…take care of yourself."  
  
"We must go, Tegan, if you don't mind…." He turned to usher the suspiciously teary-eyed Australian into the TARDIS. Kilred stopped the Time Lord on his way into the TARDIS to shake his hand.  
  
"Thank you," the warrior-king said, simply.  
  
"Thank you for all you did, Kilred. I think Epsilon 3 is in good hands," the Doctor answered, smiling. Then he slipped into the TARDIS and stuck his head back out to say: "Remember, not all situations are solved by fighting."  
  
"I will, Doctor." He answered.  
  
The Doctor smiled, nodded and shut the door. The air was filled with a wheezing that grew as the box became more and more transparent and then it was gone. Kilred and Jessica stood where they were for a time as Elrind walked back to the keep and the tatters of their village. And then as the night began to fall, they turned, hand in hand, the King and his wife, toward the Keep and their new life.  
  
**  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well…what?" the Doctor answered, flicking switches. Tegan was standing inside the door, her arms crossed over her chest and her foot was tapping on the floor. Adric was leaning against the sixth side of the console and raised his eyes. He knew what Tegan was asking and he wanted the answer as well. It just seemed that Tegan was more…forceful of the situation.  
  
"Well…you said you would explain why it is on Epsilon 3 that you can't interfere."  
  
"Or use the TARDIS for travel," Adric added, quieter.  
  
"Ah yes…I did, didn't I?" the Doctor hedged. Tegan nodded.  
  
He swallowed and waved his hand in the air. "Every civilization has its myths and legends, Tegan, Adric. Epsilon 3 is the place of myths and legends for Gallifrey. It is on par with your Garden of Eden, Tegan, or your First Place, Adric. As a Time Lord, to interfere on Epsilon 3 means the same penalty as interfering in the time stream of Gallifrey. And it is a sacrilege."  
  
"But why?" Tegan pressed.  
  
The Doctor sighed. "There is a book in the library I can get for you, if you want to know more. But suffice it to say, on Epsilon 3, time travel, interference and other rather Gallifreyan ways of life are considered punishable by banishment, and worse. And personally, I didn't want to ruin something that was very much a part of my childhood, thank you."  
  
Tegan shrugged and turned, eager to get out of her clothes. Adric left a moment later, he too, looking for familiarity. The Doctor nodded, rolling his shoulders as he too made to leave the console room. As he brushed by the pedistool, the book on top fluttered, shuffling the pages…until it lay open on a particular page. There was a well drawn picture of a castle on top and the words:  
  
The Legend of Pirates: Epsilon 3 


End file.
